By Kazeem Yahaya
Ekiti state Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji says he will continue to make adequate budgetary provision for the education in the state in line with global practice to engender sustainable growth in the sector.
The governor stated this in Ado Ekiti during the Official distribution of employment letters to the first batch of the newly recruited 800 teachers into public primary schools in the state
He also pledged to foster greater synergy with the Universal Basic Education Commission, the Federal Ministry of Education, development partners and donor agencies in the quest to improve infrastructure in schools and making them globally comparative.
The governor, remarked that he had approved the payment of one point two billion Naira as Matching Grants for the UBEC/SUBEB 2022 Intervention Projects, thereby making Ekiti one of the first States in Nigeria to access the 2022 UBEC /SUBEB Intervention funds.
He added that the development would enable public primary and junior secondary schools in the State to continue to witness the back to back Government intervention which commenced in 2018 under which over 15,000 teachers were trained and over 2000 infrastructure projects including five Model Colleges were executed in public primary and JSS Schools in the state.
Ekiti State has one of the lowest numbers of out of school children in the country. Our goal is to build on the progress made by the previous administration by bringing that number to zero, making sure that our children are not just in school but learning. We are convinced that quality education is crucial to sustainable development. Therefore, ensuring that all our children can access free and quality basic education up to SSS 3, with curriculums that prepare them adequately for further learning or the job market, is a critical competing edge and we shall not relent until this is achieved, The Governor said
Mr Oyebanji pointed out that the employment letters distribution was another testimony to the fact the his administration would continue to do everything possible towards repositioning education especially at the grass roots, as he re-emphasised government’s commitment to training and retraining of teachers.
“our administration has concluded plans to introduce the teaching of practical agricultural and entrepreneurship skills as well as promoting sporting activities that would make our pupils have all round skills during the new term.
As a matter of fact , pupils of 40 benefitting schools of the Agriculture in School programme are to be exposed to one out of four areas of agriculture, namely: animal husbandry, poultry farming , fish farming and crop farming, in a bid to develop entrepreneurship skills among the pupils of public primary schools in the state. Each of the benefitting schools under the programme, have received direct grants ranging from N545, 786.094 to N874,459.25 for the take-off of the UBEC/SUBEB Agriculture in Schools Programme representing the first tranche,” Gov Oyebanji posited
He urged the newly recruited teachers to justify their employment by rededicating themselves to duties, be diligent, shun indicspline, examination malpractice or anything than can soil the image of Ekiti, saying anyone found wanting would be sanctioned.
In his remarks, Ekiti state SUBEB chairman, Professor Femi Akinwumi said out of the 13,665 applicants who applied for the job online, 1,300 would be employed based on merit.
Professor Akinwumi maintained that 10 percent of people with disability were also considered in the employment.
In separate interviews, some of the newly recruited teachers who could not hide their joy, chorused various songs in appreciation of the governor Oyebanji and promised to justify their employment letters by giving their best at their various schools.
