UNDERSTANDING THE REVOLUTIONARY TRANSFORMATION OF OSUN BY AREGBESOLA: EDUCATION In its determined efforts at making public schools conducive and attractive, the government launched a project called O’ School whose objective is the infrastructural re-development of the state’s public schools. This resolve was borne out of the decrepit state into which public primary and secondary schools had fallen in Osun. Most of the building structures were an eyesore. A good number of the buildings either had no roofs at all or had roofs that had caved in due to the hostile treatment they had received in the hands of the elements. Convinced that neither the atmosphere nor the environment could conduce to, or support any meaningful learning process, the O’School initiative is targeted at building mega-schools that will not only be attractive in aesthetic terms but also serve as the fountains of and avenue for functional and qualitative education in an environment meant for humans rather than pigs. In concrete terms, the O’School project is to provide 170 mega schools which would translate into 100 for the elementary level, 50 for middle schools level and 20 for High school level. Each elementary school is to house 1000 pupils while each High school will take in 3,000 students. An example of the Elementary School type is already standing tall in the state capital at a location known as Alekuwodo while work is proceeding apace at different locations to replicate the same across the state. Another innovation of revolutionary proportion from the stable of Ogbeni’s unusual administration is the introduction of a learning-made-easy knowledge tablet called “Opon imo”. This is a computer induced electronic device, designed by a Chinese Company in form of iPad, pre-loaded with basic textbooks, past questions and other related materials. These are already being distributed among all students in the High schools across the state. This unique item is solar-powered and can function for complete eight hours, when fully charged. A total of 129,161 students in the High School level in the state are to enjoy the benefits of this world-Historic digital revolution in Education which is the first of its kind in the entire human world as at today. An interesting consequence of this initiative is the understanding between the government of Osun and that of the manufacturers, to the effect that a manufacturing outfit for the production of these tablets is to be established in the state, thus complementing the administrations employment generation agenda. The new face of the educational sector is not limited to the above-stated initiatives alone. The administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has assumed responsibility for the payment of WAEC fees for all SS3 students across the States. This is contrary to what was happening during the inglorious and unenviable years of the locusts. It would be recalled that the National Examination Council (NECO) results of students in the state who sat for the Secondary Schools final examination in the year 2010 were withheld by the examination body for the scandalous reason that the previous administration of Olagunsoye Oyinlola, failed to remit the appropriate registration fees of the students as at when due. It is on record that it was this present administration that paid off the bill before the concerned students were able to access their results from NECO portals. It must also be recalled that what obtained during the administration of Oyinlola was a discriminatory payment of WAEC fees, which introduced a spurious qualifying examination system as a pre-condition for enjoying the state assistance in this regard. According to that system, “any student that falls below cut-off mark would have his or her WAEC fee paid by his/her parents” But for Aregbesola, “once a student is qualified to be in SS3, it is assumed that such a student has been prepared for the final year examination and as a result, the government would pay the WAEC fee for such a student”. To ensure an effective and result-oriented administration of the primary and secondary schools in the state, Ogbeni has introduced a new and enhanced Grants and Subvention formula which gives each primary school the sum of N400 per pupil every term, while the sum of N150:00 paid on each secondary school student as running grant. This is the basis for the administration’s prohibition of collection of any form of fees from students under whatever guise. This new Grants and Subvention regime to public schools in the state stands in sharp contrast to what obtained under the previous administration which ran a miserly and beggarly grants regime of N1,000:00 per annum to each public school. The effect of the new development on parents is remarkable as those who had been groaning under the financial yoke of arbitrary and indiscriminate levies in public schools can now heave a sigh of relief, while the fleecing regime of Parents-Teachers-Association have now been relieved of their pretext for making money out of public education. At the level of tertiary education, because of the shortfall in revenue encountered by the state tertiary institutions as a result of reduction in tuition fee. the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was left with no option than to pay additional funds annually as listed below to make up for the difference. College of Education Ilesa – N31.366million College of Education Ila-orangun – N49.454million State Polytechnic Iree – N80.6million College of Technology Esa-Oke – N47.889million In addition to this, the decision of the state government to obtain legislative approval for the supplementary budget of N216,334,000 from the House of Assembly to enable the state government pay bursary to over 20,000 students of Osun extraction in 74 tertiary institutions across the country is an eloquent testimony to Ogbeni’s commitment to the business of making education available to the young as a matter of utmost priority. Under the current administration, bursary payments to students of Tertiary institutions are now fixed as follows; NCE: N10,000:00; University; N10,000:00; Medical students: N20,000:00; Law Students: N100,000:00 as opposed to the measley and miserly rate of NCE; N2,000:00; University: N3,000:00; Medical Students: N10,000:00 under the previous administration. Also, Instructional materials worth N150 million have been provided for primary and secondary schools across the state, while the Office of Tutor-General- an equivalent of the rank of Permanent Secretary has been created to look after the interests and welfare of the Teachers in the state. Each of the three senatorial districts in the state has a Tutor-General. Further, the school feeding programme, code-named O’Meal by the present administration got a boost with an annual allocation of N1.56billion. The O’Meal is actually targeted at students of Classes 1-4 in the Elementary School. The focus is on provision of balanced diet which includes cocoyam porridge, chicken, egg among others. The objective of this is to re-invigorate the mental capacity of the pupils in a commendable effort to bridge nurture and nature. It is quite instructive to note that the enrollment figure for the subsequent academic session after the introduction of this laudable programme witnessed a phenomenal increase of about 38%. This is a far cry from what the programme used to be under the previous administration which always ruined whatever it touched with the leprous fingers of corruption. The huge fund allocated to the project in those days could not be accounted for in either quality or quantity of the meals being served the pupils. The aim of these programmes and projects is to create a new human being whose commitment and loyalty to the state is no longer solicited on the basis of empty sloganeering about national patriotism but one founded on the state’s interest and concern for the popular welfare made manifest in heavily investment in education. It also establishes the administration’s commitment to the right to education as a fundamental right of the citizen and the fundamental duty of the government which coincides with the progressive programme of the Action Congress of Nigeria to banish ignorance and illiteracy. The programmes establish the commitment of Aregbesola to reduce the burden of poor parents who suffer to push their wards through schools particularly widows and workers whose hope of a better tomorrow lies in their children.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 14:34:28 +0000
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