By Ademola Orunbon
The schools across Ogun State have resumed for the 2023/2024 academic session with adequate facilities in place, such as new learners, teachers’ furniture and learning materials supplied, as well as classification of Senior Secondary School One (SSS1) students into classes and placement of learners into Junior Secondary School One (JSS1).
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, while monitoring the resumption of learners into Public and Private Primary and Secondary Schools, as well as Government Technical Colleges for the new session, said the facilities were supplied to schools based on the need assessment, adding that the gesture was to ensure that learners are comfortable for better productivity.
Prof. Arigbabu, according to the Press Officers, MES&T, Mr. Ayoola Obadimu & Mr. Samuel Ogungbesan, appreciated the school Principals, Headteachers, Teachers, Non-teaching Staff and Parents for working in tandem with the present administration’s policy on education, reiterating that the cancellation of various levies was an indication of the government’s commitment to further ensuring education for all, tackle out of school menace and promote free qualitative education for the citizenry.
He expressed satisfaction with the turnout of learners, welcome test conducted by schools, cleanliness of the school compound and readiness of the learners for the new academic calendar, saying the signing of Undertaking Forms becomes a continuous exercise and one of the requirements for admission, to further ensure adequate security and fight against social vices challenges in schools.
“We have gone round the schools, I’m impressed with what I saw. Some of the Schools we noticed are in need of furniture, furniture was produced and distributed to them for smooth academic activities”, the Special Adviser said.
Speaking, the Principals of some of the monitored schools, Our Lady of Apostles, Junior and Senior, Mrs. Bukola Osodi and Mrs. Olajoke Adelaja, Ijebu Muslim College, Junior and Senior, Mrs. Taibat Jimoh and Alhaja Idowu Adeniran, Remo Secondary School, Junior and Senior, Mr. Samuel Soneye and Mrs. Shuaib lauded the government for the part payment of the running cost, which had aided the well-planned resumption.
Expressing their gratitude to the present government for the huge investment in the education sector, Mrs. Bisiriyu Abosede and Iyabode Babatunde, attested to the facts that the present administration is really working hard to give learners a better standard of education, saying the cancellation of all forms of levies in schools, made it easier for parents to enrol their children.
Other schools visited include, Ogbogbo Baptist Grammar School, Ogbogbo Ijebu, Muslim Girls’ High School, Ijebu-Ode, Sonyindo Community High School, Sagamu, Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, LawNet International School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta and Government Technical College, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta.