Oyo State Government Vows to Consolidate Quality Education

OYO state government has assured the people of the state of its commitment to consolidating quality education through the implementation of far reaching policies aimed at taking the state to greater heights.Governor Abiola Ajimobi gave the assurance on tuesday through the state commissioner for education, science and technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela at the official handing over/ commissioning of ultramodern ICT centres Universal  Provision  Service Fund UPSF through its Minister, Barrister Adebayo Shittu.The  ICT centres situated at the Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki and Saki Parapo Community Grammar School respectively were sponsored by Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).In his address, the commissioner noted that the event is in tandem with the vision of the present administration to give education its prime place and strategic intervention notonly to make Oyo state live up to her pace setter status but also to reposition her children for the challenges of leadership.Professor Olowofela added that the government had fashioned out and begin the implementation of policies targeted at enhancing education in the state. While enumerating, the commissioner stressed, “the government had begun and poised for completion of mega schools to cater for student’s expansion in enrolment.“The Ministry had also begun the process of promoting only deserving pupils and student’s in our public and secondary schools as era of mass promotion is gone forever.” Not that alone, a redistribution of the state work force to ensure optimum use had begun. About ten thousand (10,000) primary school teacher’s who are degree holders had been penciled down for redeployment to secondary schools”.“To ensure that our teachers are adequately trained for the discharge of their duties, a continuous manpower training of our teachers had been put in place through the ” Teachers Cluster Training Programme “.“Our school principals and vice- principals have been mandated to teach at least six (6) to twelve (12) periods per week to ensure experience is never sacrificed at the alter of supervision alone.“Eighty percent attendance of pupils in class has also been made a prerequisite for any pupil or student to be promoted to the next class in our schools to endure that our pupils and students are well groomed.” To cap it all, a feedback mechanism between the schools and parents by way of ‘Open Day Forum’ had begun in all our primary and secondary schools in order to create a platform for exchange of information about the progress of our children. This has improved information sharing on the challenges faced by both the parents and the schools “, the commissioner continued.According to Olowofela, the totality of these policies is to fast track the educational advancement of the state to which the event is serving as a catalyst.He also saluted the courage of the Minister, Barrister Shittu for deeming it fit to reach the rural populace who formed the greater percentage of the population and who coincidentally, needed to be touched by policies and programmes of government at all tiers.Remarking, the Minister of Communication Technology, Barrister Adebayo Shittu charged the management of Oke-Ogun Polytechnic to exploit intellectual capital by harnessingthe power of information technology and advantages precipitated in it towards improving its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).While assuring the people of the state of more dividends, the Minister, however urged Nigerians to support and pray for President Buhari led government in its bid to continually provide succour.The event had in attendance, the Deputy Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Abdulwasii Musah, Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Aderonke Makanjuola, an illustrious son of Oke-Ogun and ex-JAMB boss, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, Rector, Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Mr Oladeji Olaniyi, Chairman, Saki Parapo, Chief Aderogba Onifade, among others.