The Federal Ministry of Education has postponed the commencement of the 2024/2025 academic session of the Federal Government Academy, Suleja, by 10 days.

Education minister Tahir Mamman announced this when he led officials in the ministry on a tour to the school in Suleja on Thursday. The school’s 2024/2025 academic session, scheduled for September 8, has been postponed to September 18.

The minister, alongside the minister of state for education, Yusuf Sununu, took turns to inspect some facilities undergoing renovations in the school. The facilities include the students’ hostels, toilet facilities, the school’s clinic, laboratories, and the skills and renovation centre.

The minister said that the tour was necessary to ascertain the progress in renovating some of the school facilities. He said the extension was necessary to give more time to those working to complete their work while making the environment conducive for learners.

“This is the only school of its type in the country, which is the national school for the gifted, where we are supposed to assemble students who demonstrate special aptitude and capacity. For us, we need to showcase the school and to do that, we need to ensure that necessary infrastructure is there and the academic environment is suitable for that purpose,” said Mr Mamman. 

The education minister added, “This school started with old facilities, and maintenance is a problem. What we have seen doesn’t answer our expectations of the school that it should be. They have achieved some mileage, and that is not the destination we should be looking at, so we are here to inspect the school.”

Mr Mamman, while lamenting the decay in infrastructure facilities in the school, pledged the ministry’s support in providing massive support to elevate and bring the school to the standard it should be.

He commended the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and the old students for their active community engagement in mobilising others to improve some of the facilities seen in the school.

When asked if the age limit issue would affect the students owing to their educational capabilities and talents, Mr Mamman said the policy on 18 years would not affect them.

The school, established in 1990 by former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida, is fully funded by the federal government for gifted students.

Students in this school only pay PTA level while the federal government fully pays for their tuition fees.

(NAN)