The State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, who disclosed this in a press statement at the weekend advised parents and guardians to provide their wards with facemasks in line with COVID-19 safety protocols as they resume schools on Monday as well as all the necessary textbooks and writing materials.

Plans have been concluded by the Akwa Ibom State Government to commence payment of gratuities to retired primary school teachers or their next of kin.

Newsmen gathered from a reliable source that the hasty plan by the state government to begin the payment is to forestall the planned protest by beneficiaries of such funds on Monday, April 26.

The source who pleaded anonymity disclosed that funds have been released to pay gratuities to retired primary school teachers or their next of kin from year 2000 to 2014.

The state government hinted at this development during the official presentation and distribution of Quality Assurance equipment to Quality Assurance Officers in the 31 Local Government Education Authorities in the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) ground at the weekend.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet, who described Governor Emmanuel as an education loving governor, outlined the achievements of the governor in the education sector to include prompt payment of salaries to teachers, payment of examination fees for children in exit classes, internal examination fees, ongoing construction of perimeter fencing of government schools in the state, the commencement of verification exercises for the payment of gratuities to retired primary school teachers, prompt payment of counterpart funds, among others.

Permanent Secretary of SUBEB, Elder Ezekiel Umoh while commending the teachers for producing intelligent pupils, announced the commencement of payment of gratuities to retired primary school teachers or their next of kin on Monday 26th April, 2021.