Ogun State - OGSG Commended for Efforts at Enhancing Educational Standards

[OgunState]

 The 22 percent budgetary allocation of the Ogun State Government to the educational sector in the State is a step in the right direction that will engender radical positive change in the sector. Head of a visiting World Bank team, Dr. Tunde Adekola made this assertion in Abeokuta while speaking during a courtesy call on the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Segun Odubela in his office.

Adekola noted that the State government had embarked on renovation of dilapidated blocks of classrooms and construction of new ones as well as provision of free text books, exercise books and other instructional materials to students in public schools, describing the step as a commendable gesture which must be supported by donor agencies to further encourage the government.

He said the visit was meant to explore ways of partnering the State under the “World Bank Assisted Project” adding that any assistance rendered by the bank is expected to yield results at the end of the day. “The World Bank is just like a missionary, what we like most is information sharing and knowledge and also bringing together our knowledge and information about what we know and see how we can use it to assist the State.” Adekola stated.

He posited that education remained the only tool for achieving sustainable positive changes, emphasising that this belief explains the rationale behind the interest shown by the bank to assist states and countries in improving educational standard and expressed optimism for a durable and rewarding relationship between the bank and Ogun State.

Welcoming the team earlier, Barrister Odubela expressed the State government’s readiness to partner the World Bank towards improving the hitherto moribund facilities in the education sector which it inherited on assumption of office.

He noted that already, the State government had committed huge investments into developing the sector, but added that it still needed to do more particularly, in the area of school infrastructure, learning facilities, capacity building and other incentives for teachers so that they would impart meaningful knowledge into students.

“We have heard and seen what World Bank has done to support Lagos State and some other states, which to a large extent had brought development and enhance the performance of students academically. It is for this reason, the State approached the bank to come and assess the education sector with a view to knowing areas of assistance” the commissioner said.

Via: Ogun State Government - Official Press Release