PAYMENT OF OVER N1.2 BILLION MATCHING GRANT BY GOVERNOR OYEBANJI WOULD FURTHER TRANSFOM PUBLIC SCHOOLS – EKITI SUBEB BOSS

 

By Shawn

The Executive Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof Femi Akinwumi has said that the recent approval granted by Governor, Abayomi Oyebanji for the payment of over N1.2billion  Matching Grants to the  Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)  under the UBEC/SUBEB 2022 Intervention project would bring about further improvement in the teaching and learning environment in public primary and Junior Secondary  Schools and also improve capacity of teachers in public schools in the State.

Speaking at  a five-day training programme for Quality Assurance Officers and selected teachers in public primary schools held in Ado Ekiti, the SUBEB Boss disclosed that the  State  was one of the first five States in the country to access the 2022 UBEC/SUBEB Intervention Funds under which  over 28  blocks of new school buildings  including 10 creches would be constructed ,  over 60 dilapidated school buildings would be renovated, while a substantial number  of  pupils and teachers furniture would  be supplied  and  conscious efforts would  be made to provide water and sanitation  facilities including  new toilets and boreholes  in not less than  40  public schools in the state.

Prof. Akinwumi stated that this latest  development  was a continuation  of  back to back Government intervention in public primary and junior secondary schools  which commenced in 2018 under which over 15,000 teachers were trained and over 2000 infrastructural projects including  five  Model colleges were executed in public primary and junior secondary schools in Ekiti.

He said these steps would go a long way in  improving  access to basic education amongst children of School age  and ultimately help in further   reducing  the Out of School phenomenon  in the state

The SUBEB boss  explained that the training programme  organized by the board in collaboration with UBEC is part of concerted efforts aimed at putting mechanism in place towards ensuring high quality Basic Education through appropriate quality assurance processes.

He said it also includes prescribing, monitoring, evaluating and maintaining minimum standards in schools especially in the areas of teaching and learning by the quality assurance department in the State. 

The Chairman noted that  with the huge investment of Government in the Basic Education Sector there was need to put checks in place in the sector through proper monitoring and supervision hence the training programme  which  is specifically designed to further train the Board’s  Quality Assurance Officers and other  participants on ways of appraising school effectiveness and efficiency through teaching and learning.

He  assured  participants of the irrevocable commitment of the State Government to support the  Quality Assurance Department   in achieving its mandate of improving the quality of teaching and learning in public primary schools in the State through more capacity building programmes and the provision of more equipment and monitoring vehicles

Earlier in his welcome address, the  Permanent Secretary, SUBEB, Mr Adedayo Ajobiewe stated that the importance of  effectiveness of continuous training cannot be overemphasized and it was imperative that  participants take full advantage of the program by paying rapt attention to the facilitators.

He noted that the training would go a long way in enhancing the performance of all participants on the field as it would  further expose them to new innovations for school evaluation in line with global best practices.

Mr Ajobiewe also stressed that with complete focus, it would greatly aid them in discharging their duties more effectively by so adding value to the Basic Education sector in the State.

“It is my belief that with this program, teaching and learning method in the State will change for the better” he said.

In his goodwill message , the UBEC Executive Secretary , Dr Hammid Bobboyi who spoke through  the Deputy Director Quality Assurance Department UBEC,   Alhaji Baba Asaju pledged that  the  Commission  would continue  to   support activities  that promote   monitoring  and  prescribe and maintain minimum standards in  the basic education sectors across the country .