THE OGUN STATE MAIDEN EDUCATION SUMMIT
Aristotle said that ‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet’. Likewise, Nelson Mandela said ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’. It is on this note that the present administration in Ogun State led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun placed priority on education as first out of its five cardinal programmes when assumed office on May 29, 2011.
Meanwhile, Ogun State, for ages, has comparative advantages and enviable record of educational achievements over other states in Nigeria and as a way of protecting the unprecedented and proud legacy, the state government has invested heavily in education. Due to its commitment to continually transform the comatose stage of the state education sector, the state government has added another worthwhile achievement to the huge development recorded so far in the sector by organising the maiden education summit, tagged ‘Ogun State 2017 Education Summit’.
The summit which was aimed at reviewing the giant strides of the state government in education since assumption of office and how best to improve upon it had in attendance different stakeholders in education who presided over different sessions.
The state governor while addressing the guests and resource persons at the two-day event held at the June 12 Cultural centre, Kuto, Abeokuta on May 22, 2017 said the summit was coming at a time like the state was fast becoming the education capital of Nigeria with 1,495 public primary schools, 2144 approved private nursery and primary schools with a combined population of 717,911 students in primary schools as well as 10 state-owned tertiary institutions, adding that his government have had to deal with huge financial responsibilities in the sector than any state of the federation.
He said further that in the last six years of his administration, education has consistently got the lion share of the state budget noting that over N52 billion has been disbursed as subventions and grants to its 10 tertiary institutions across the state. All were done to make education conducive for students.
“Ogun free education has salvaged 63,000 school drop-outs. Our administration is committed to matching its huge investment in the education sector with better learning outcomes. Apart from massive renovation and constructions of new primary and secondary schools blocks of classrooms across the three senatorial districts of the state, we have also constructed 15 state-of-the-art model schools out of a planned total of 28 across the state and had inaugurated seven at Kobape, Onijaganjangan, Akinale, Sagamu, Ikenne, Ado-Odo and Ago-Iwoye Model Schools. Each school is designed to accommodate 1,000 students and over 200 teaching and non-teaching staff. The first ever summer camp equally took place from August 14-28, 2016, at the Akin Ogunpola Model School, Akinale, in Ewekoro Local Government.
The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota said the summit would afford the state the opportunity to deliberate on the successes of the past years, review the outcome and also propose the next step beyond this present administration.
The Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who spoke on “Baseline and Assessment” charged tertiary institutions in the state to do more in terms of competitiveness and qualitative education, adding that skill acquisition through vocational and technical skills should be considered as curriculum and not extra-curricular activities.
Also speaking on ‘Technology as a Tool for Education Advancement’, the Chairman of Phillips Consulting Limited, Mr. Foluso Phillips, noted that ‘’technology has shaped how we do everything’’, urging the government to embrace its usage. He stated that technology has given greater access to education, adding that the huge population of the state was not a liability but an asset.
Dr. Doyin Salami of Lagos Business School, Pan African University who took a critical look into funding versus results said education was the inter- generational gateway to development, adding that the sector cannot be funded by government alone, and urged other stakeholders to join hands with the government in funding the sector. He was right.