The Federal Ministry of Education has extended the resumption of the Federal Government Academy in Suleja by ten days.
Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, made this known on Thursday while leading ministry officials on a tour of the Suleja School.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Minister and the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, took turns to inspect various school facilities that were being renovated.
The facilities include student hostels, restrooms, a school clinic, laboratories, and a skills and renovation centre.
The minister stated that the tour was required to assess the level of progress in the renovation of some of the school buildings.
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.
“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,” he said.
Mamman, while bemoaning the school’s deteriorating infrastructural facilities, assured the ministry’s support in providing substantial assistance to elevate and bring the institution up to the quality it deserves.
He praised the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and old students for their active community involvement in rallying support to upgrade some of the school’s facilities.
When questioned if the age limit issue would harm students based on their educational ability and talents, Mamman stated that the policy on 18 years would not affect them.
“Underage criteria may not apply to the gifted students as we are already developing a criteria to guide what will be called gifted children,” he explained.
NAN also reports that the school, which was supposed to resume operations for the 2024/25 academic year on Sunday, September 8, will now resume on September 18.
The school, founded in 1990 by former Head of State Ibrahim Babangida, is entirely supported by the federal government for exceptional students.
Students at this school only pay the PTA levy, but their tuition is covered by the federal government.