The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has pledged the readiness of his government to forge strong and invincible partnership with intending private investors to strengthen education, saying the war against Illiteracy and school dropout will be total under his administration.
To sustain the past glory recorded by the state in education sector, Oyebanji said no nation where education is being demeaned and despised can overcome its challenges and become prosperous, this he said propelled the premium priority he places on education of the youth population.
The governor said this, on Tuesday, while commissioning a block of four classrooms donated by Build a School Initiative in Africa (BASIA) and Ajoni Local Council Development Area, at Saint Luke’s Primary School, Esun Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of the State.
At the event, the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, HRM Oba Babs Ogunsakin conferred the chieftaincy title of Aare Arikawe and Merit Awards on the Chairman of Ajoni LCDA , Prince Micheal Ogungbemi and the President of BASIA, Dr.Victor Ukorebi for the contributions to scholarship in Ekiti.
Describing the event as historic, Oyebanji, represented by his Deputy, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said the partnership between the Non-governmental Organisation and Ajoni LCDA will bring radical development to education sector via increased school enrolment.
“Under this administration , war against Illiteracy and school dropout is total. That was why Governor Oyebanji at inception declared free education at both primary and secondary schools. This singular, but lofty move, had helped in raising the school enrolment and makes Ekiti has one of the highest school enrolment in the country”.
To accommodate the upsurge caused by exponential students’ enrolment , Oyebanji said his administration has begun the construction of two model secondary schools in Ikere and Ikole Ekiti to avert overcrowding in our schools.
Oyebanji revealed that his government had paid a whopping sum of N6.2 billion as counterpart funding to benefit from the Universal Basic Education fund , while humungous amount of N400 million, had been deployed to offset debts owed contractors handling projects at the State Universal Basic Education Board(SUBEB).
“Let me at this point commend this NGO and Ajoni LCDA for their partnership that has brought development to the education sector. I knew that the NGO had earlier built a block of four classrooms at Saint Stephen’s Primary School, Ayebode Ekiti .
” I am convinced that other Local Governments can also extend hands of partnership to private sector to complement what our government is doing in education because the project you are commissioning today will add value to scholarship and humanity in general.
“Let me appreciate the donor and to also appeal to other interested private organisations to key into our transformation agenda. We are ready to partner you and our doors are open to investments in any sector of your choice in the state.
“I want to appeal to the benefitting school to make good use of this facility, while the community should take absolute ownership of the structure”.
In his submission, the Chairman of Ajoni Local Council Development Area, Prince Micheal Ogungbemi, said the international standard school project will offer comfort to children for them to embark on their educational journey.
He described education as the pivot upon which every society stands and flourishes, revealing that the primary cadre of education holds a special place in shaping the future of children.
Ogungbemi stated that his administration had pioneered ‘Ajoni Educational Endowment Scheme’ to advance educational excellence among the primary school pupils, where Ayiga Prince, an indigent , but academically sound pupil,was the first beneficiary of this lofty policy.
“He (Ayiga Prince), won the Ajoni Spelling Bee Competition, which gave him the privilege to act as a One-Day Chairman of our LCDA and to enjoy scholarship throughout his secondary education.
“This is a new model introduced to elementary/ primary school buildings in Ekiti State. I would like to extend my appreciation to BASIA team for the productive partnership it has established with us, in order to reduce minimally the out of school children in Ajoni LCDA and by extension, Ekiti State at large”.
The President of BASIA, Dr. Victor Ukorebi, said the school building gesture, was to reduce out of school children in Nigeria, which UNESCO put at over 20 million, describing this as disturbing and a threat to the future of the country.
“We have a lot of work to do to put our children back to school. We still need over 20,000 schools to accommodate out of school children in Nigeria. We must all make our impacts felt. The war against illiteracy must be total”.