KOGI ASSEMBLY: Kogi Assembly to ban use of mobile phones in secondary schools

LEGISREPORTS NG – The Kogi State
House of Assembly has resolved to enact
a law banning the use of mobile phones
by students in secondary schools in the
state.
The Speaker, Hon Momohjimoh Lawal,
stated this while ruling on a matter of
Urgent Public Importance, urging the
house to investigate the declining
performance of students in public
examinations in the state, by Hon Henry
Ojuola, representing Yagba East
constituency in the house.
According to him, the law when enacted
will not only give room for students to
concentrate on their studies but will also
reduce the rate of examination
malpractice. “One of the methods
students use in cheating during exams is
the mobile phone. The law will help to
reduce the rate of examination
malpractice in the state”.
Presenting the motion at its plenary
sitting, Hon Ojuola who described the
rate of examination malpractice in the
state as disgraceful and shameful noted
that despite the effort put in place by
government in the educational sector,
examination malpractice has become the
order of the day in secondary schools
across the state.
Hon Ojuola, making reference to the
state newspaper which had earlier
reported that Kogi State is the 5th worse
in examination malpractice in Nigeria
and worst in the North Central zone, also
noted that 5 secondary schools in the
state were blacklisted by the West
African Examination Council (WEAC)
according to the same publication.
“We cannot keep quite pretending not to
know the bad status in which Kogi State
is educationally. In spite of all the efforts
the state government is injecting into our
educational system; and paying WEAC
examination fees of final year secondary
schools, the educational system is
declining”, he lamented.
He called on Hon members and House
committee on Education to treat the
matter with utmost importance with a
view to getting the state out of the
embarrassment and take actions towards
ameliorating the educational status in the
state.
Seconding the motion, the member
representing Dekina 1 constituency, Hon
Paul Gowon, noted that the educational
system in the state is so worrisome and
needs complete over haul. He added that
students of College of Education in the
state are not properly equipped and
cannot teach after graduating from the
college.
After various contributions from
members, the Speaker in his ruling
committed the motion to the House
Committee on Education to be joined by
the mover of the motion, Hon Ojuola for
thorough investigation and report to the
house in three weeks.
This report was presented by our reporter
in Kogi State