Ekiti State Government will expend a total of N1,179,235,500.00 as running grants for Primary and Secondary Schools as well as Technical Colleges and the three Government Special Schools in the State for the 2024/2025 session alone.
The State Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun who made this known in Ado Ekiti, said that the State Government added that N11,306,760,012.54 expended on renovation and construction of facilities in all the 203 public secondary schools under the World Bank supported Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project.
He added that Government also paid N6,154,879,897.36 as counterpart fund to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for its 2022, 2023 and 2024 projects in the 927 public primary schools in the State while N16,388,047.77 was spent on Procurement of Continuous Assess Documents for public secondary schools and N174,032,505.00 for instructional materials for Primary Schools amongst others.
Giving a breakdown of disbursement of running grants since the inception of Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration, Rt. Hon. Olatunbosun said the 203 public secondary schools in the State were given N214,479,000.00 for the 2022/2023 session, N235,157,400.00 for 2023/2024 session and N602,356,500.00 for 2024/2025 session while the primary schools got N101,419,200.00 for 2022/2023, N109,854,900.00 in 2023/2024 and N381,258,000.00 for 2024/2025, adding that the Technical Colleges took N6,774,300.00 in 2022/2023, N5,981,400.00 in 2023/2024 and N10,737,000.00 in 2024/2025.
According to him, the three Government Special Schools are paid N15,407,000.00 monthly as grants for feeding and maintenance with facilities in the schools upgraded to ensure operational efficiency while professional therapists including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists were engaged to provide remediation services for the PWDs pupils/students in the schools.
He highlighted some of Government’s interventions in public secondary schools in the State to include renovation of 1,135 classrooms and construction of 83 new classrooms, construction of 419 new toilets and renovation of 277 existing ones, drilled 32 boreholes and rehabilitated eight for improved water access.
Olatunbosun said the State also renovated, furnished and equipped 18 libraries, 105 science laboratories,
67 multi-purpose halls and constructed perimeter fencing of 46 schools while 2,978 units of school furniture and learning materials were procured and distributed.
Stressing the need for all stakeholders to reciprocate and support the efforts of the Oyebanji administration to rapidly develop the State and provide access to inclusive qualitative education in conducive teaching and learning environment for all, Olatunbosun solicited the involvement of all and sundry in protecting public property in their respective areas for proper maintenance and sustainability.
He reiterated the commitment of the present administration to the provision of free, qualitative and compulsory education for school-age children in the State, adding that the State Government had invested so much in the sector and all parties should join hands to protect the investment in order to genuinely achieve the desired goal.
The Government spokesman said protecting public property like schools would enhance safety and well-being, stressing that well-maintained public property reduces hazards and contributes to a safer environment for residents, while conversely, neglected or damaged properties can pose risks and even attract criminal activity.
He also cautioned Principals and Head-teachers of public schools to shun corruption and any form of sharp practices, stressing that it would be wrong for anybody to misrepresent issues under any guise to possibly attract donations from individuals, group of people, philanthropists or association without consideration to the unjustifiable effect on the image of Government.
He said, “All stakeholders, including residents, government bodies, and relevant organizations, share a fundamental responsibility to protect public property due to its importance for development and the well-being of society, and this protection can be achieved through awareness, education, and strict enforcement of regulations. Please, let’s be guided as culprits would be made to face the full wrath of the law.”