PRINCIPALS and vice principals in public schools in Kwara State would henceforth be held accountable for their pupils' performance.

Specifically, vice principals (academic) would henceforth be reprimanded or rewarded for their pupils' dismal or brilliant performances, the state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Raji Mohammed, has said.

Mohammed told reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, yesterday that the ministry was poised to reward the best performing teachers and principals this academic year.

He added: "The criteria for assessing the teachers and principals will be out soon. We want to strengthen the internal mechanism of secondary schools in the state.

"The principals of schools have been empowered to see themselves as the general-managers in charge of all the resources allocated to them by government. The VP is now equally being seen as responsible for students' performance.

"The question is that what is the rate of the students' performance put under the VP's care? The VP will either be rewarded or reprimanded depending on students' performance. We also want to ensure that teachers are regularly trained and retrained especially on the core subjects."

The commissioner disclosed that the state government would soon rehabilitate three out of the five moribund technical schools in the state.

He pointed out that the resuscitation of the technical schools was to boost entrepreneurial education aimed at making Kwara self-reliant.

On the recent abolition of fees in secondary schools in the state, Mohammed said: "The N970 being paid by each student is now being underwritten by government. Government will in turn pay the money to the schools according to their students' population. Principals of these schools are now charged with the responsibility of managing the funds.

"The school-based management committee, the ministry and auditors are to monitor the usage of the funds."

Mohammed also disclosed that as a way of encouraging people to take to teaching, the state government would offer scholarship to would-be teachers at the university level.

"This will make them come back and impart what they have acquired on students," he added.

The commissioner disclosed that the state would expend N35 million on the procurement of exercise books, which would be distributed free to the pupils.