A day after commissioning the gigantic Adventist Government High School Ede, Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Tuesday commissioned yet another school, A.U.D Government Elementary School in the state capital, Osogbo.
The Governor, dressed in a similar uniform to that of the elementary school pupils stressed that the commissioning of schools and other infrastructures across the state are in fulfilment of his government’s promise to provide functional basic education for the pupils in the state.
The A.U.D Government Elementary Schoo in Sabo Osogbol is 22 full classrooms, each capable of accommodating 50 pupils. It has a multipurpose function hall, a sick bay, computer room, a principal’s office and the secretary’s office.
There is a recreation centre, including a small playing field. The conveniences include six blocks of toilets for pupils and staff, each having three squat pans and WC, making a total of 24. The seventh block is designated for staff with four cubicles of WC. The principal’s office also has a private toilet.
Aregbesola at the commissioning after asking for a minute silence for the repose of the soul of late Cuban former President, Fidel Casto commended him for making sure that almost all citizen of Cuba can read and write, saying Fidel Castro’s welfarist programme shall live after him.
Aregbesola stated that elementary school is the basis of the basic education, hence, any child with a good elementary school foundation will have no problem making progress educationally.
He noted that A.U.D school is one of the 100 elementary schools his administration is building, out of which 20 are already completed.
The Governor added that government is also building 50 middle schools from which it has completed 22.
He held that his administration has also carried out renovations on 40 other schools which give a total of 1,694 standard classrooms in the existing elementary, middle and high schools, providing accommodation for nearly 90,000 pupils.
Aregbesola said, “We have provided for them more than 100,000 desks and chairs, toilets and boreholes and made schools decent places to be. We have provided 50,000 eLearning tablets (Opon Imo) for grade 12 final year high school pupils in the state.
“This has benefitted three sets already while the fourth set, i.e. the current final year set are receiving the tablet as we speak. In addition to building schools, we have recruited more than 12,000 teachers to boost manpower in the school system. We are also motivating the teachers.
“We have put in place a policy that makes teachers in elementary and middle schools to rise to grade level 16. We have, in addition, appointed three Tutors General, equivalent of Permanent Secretary, in the three senatorial districts in the state.
“We have established the Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency to assure education quality and enforce morality in our schools.
“Our overall vision is to develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of society who views his own development as part of and for the development of society”. The Governor told the gathering.
Speaking earlier, Chairman, State Universal Basic Education, SUBEB, Prince Felix Awofisayo commended Governor Aregbesola for prudently managing the scarce resources of the state especially on schools restructuring.
Deputy Governor Mrs Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori who described the new school as one of the series of the state-of-the-arts schools currently being constructed across the state, said efforts have also been put in place to sustain the new education policies and programmes for the betterment of all.
“Aregbesola’s government is committed to changing the face of education, transform eduction sector and as well turn it to a model in Osun, Nigeria, Africa and the entire world.
“Our administration is working assiduously to meet both present and future needs of our children in education sector. That is why we are building edifices as schools that can last for years across the state.
“Our modern education policies and school reclassification policies are second to none because our model schools are well equipped with state-of-the-arts facilities that are incomparable not only in Nigeria or Africa but in the world.
“Our government has put in place a strong and workable financial mechanism and re-engineering policy to stimulate the economy even in the face of the current excruciating economic realities.
Also, the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimon Olanipekun commended the civil servants in the state for being patient with the state government in the face of the current economic realities.
The monarch assured the state workforce of the state commitment to their welfares, saying the state is working round the clocks to bring the much needed succour.
Oba Olanipekun who described the newly commissioned schools across the state by the present government of Governor Aregbesola as unprecedented, said with the emergence of the new schools, Osun has become a model among its peers in the country and beyond.
He appealed to the citizens of the state to further maintain patience with the government as the effects of the current economic situation cut across all levels of government.
In their separate remarks, the Chairman Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Amuda Wakil; A.U.D School Headmaster, Mrs. Emily Olubunmi Olaniyi and Chairman Association of Primary Schools Headmasters of Nigeria, AOPSHON, Alhaji Oladapo Sadiat, lauded the state government for being the pacesetter in the education sector in Nigeria.
The trio also extolled Governor Aregbesola’s passion and love for education, saying his immense achievements have been felt across the nooks and crannies of the state.
They debunked the rumours making the rounds that the state government has introduced school fees to pupils of public schools, saying at no time has the state taken such a decision.
The trio said what the state introduced was maintenance fees purposely ordered to maintain the facilities installed in all the newly built schools across the state.
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