In order to ensure qualitative education at all levels in Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has said his government will continue to invest significantly in the sector.
Akeredolu who stated this during the 7th Convocation Ceremony of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, said his administration will continue to build on the legacy of the founding fathers in education by giving priority to education.
The governor, however, hinted that to achieve a great feat in the education sector in the state, there would be an upward review in the fee to be paid by students in tertiary institutions in the state.
According to the governor, the present economic downturn in Nigeria calls for the upward review of the tuition saying the allocation for the state can no longer take care of so many things.
He said the education sector should not be left in the hands of government alone and stressed the need for all stakeholders to support the state government in ensuring qualitative education in Ondo State.
“We will continue to do our best within the available resources. We will, however, appeal to other stakeholders not to leave this important task for the government alone to tackle.
“In our bid to reposition the education sector, visitation panels had been set up for our four institutions and they have started work. I want to assure everyone that the panel is not set up to witch hunt; I will never be part of that idea of witch hunting.
“I want to tell our students and other stakeholders to go to the visitation panel and give them their ideas and make suggestions. We will analyse it and take a decision that will be good to everyone,” Akeredolu said.
Akeredolu noted that other sectors and areas of government also needed government attention, saying all the allocation should not be used for workers salary alone and the state needs to look inward.
“If we are paying only salaries of the workers, what happened to other people in the society? Can we use all our money for subvention? It is not possible, there is no way, but we are responsible not only to the students or civil servants but also to the larger society,”
Akeredolu, however, stated that his government would continue to give attention to the issue of a curriculum in the tertiary institutions in the state, to reflect the current societal realities.
He noted that the system which renders graduates more confused should be jettisoned and stressed the need to make curricula to reflect the challenges of the existence of the immediate environment arose from the conscious efforts to produce real experts who would fix the nation’s economy.
The governor said: “We cannot afford to continue to churn out graduates who are basically unemployable by virtue of the defective nuggets of instruction with which they were trained.
“The huge presence of an ever-increasing army of unemployed graduates in our underdeveloped economy is embarrassing. We must take bold steps to reverse the unfortunate situation.
“I do not want to be misunderstood as dismissing our graduates as useless. I actually believe that the system has been most unfair to them. The fact that most of those who have the opportunity to travel abroad excel beyond expectation should compel us to review our style of training these wonderful creatures.”
Speaking earlier, Imo State governor, Mr Rochas Okorocha, who was conferred with the Honourary Degree of Doctor of Letters by the Senate of the Adekunle Ajasin University, advised students and graduates of the institution to be bold and courageous to face future challenges.
Okorocha, however, advised parents and guardians to give priority to the education of their wards, saying “this will go a long way to contribute to the development of the state and the country as a whole.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
