The Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led government in Ogun State says it has earmarked the sum of one billion naira for the rehabilitation of 228 blocks of four classrooms each across the 20 local government councils and the 37 Local Council Development areas; just as it sets aside another N6.015bn for the construction of more public schools in the State to cater for the upsurge in school enrolment due to free and qualitative education policy of the present administration.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota stated this while defending her agency’s budget estimates at the on-going 2018 budget defence before the members of the State House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation led by Akanbi Bankole.
Mujota noted that the proposal was meant to provide the best environment conducive for training and learning that will produce students with a competitive edge in the nation and the world at large.
The Commissioner explained that the State was committed to charting a revolutionary course in the education sector for the provision of social services as a foundation for the economic, industrial and social rejuvenation of the State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (SEEDS) and the Mission to Rebuild the State.
She appealed to parents and guardians to cooperate with the State government in its efforts at ensuring the successful take off of the other models schools in other parts of the State next year; admonishing them to embrace the economic friendly and all -inclusive educational programmes of the model schools which according to her were in line with the international standards.
Mujota, while commenting on the State government’s decision in stopping the payment of WAEC fee for secondary school pupils, remarked that the State Government had reconsidered to bear the administrative and sundry costs, while parents are expected to pay for examinations fee only.
According to the Commissioner, the Ministry in the next fiscal year would continue to provide scholarship and bursary award for all indigenous students of the State in all tertiary institutions across the country as well as the provision of more textbooks in all public school libraries to support learning and knowledge acquisition.
To achieve the aforementioned, Mujota proposed a total budget of N11.887B, out of which capital projects would gulp N10.487B; while the remaining N1.4B would cater for recurrent expenditure with its expected revenue put at N1.5B.
Packaged by Hazeez Ayansola
