IBADAN (Sundiata Scholar) – Registrar of Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, has advocated for private sector partnership for revamping education infrastructure in Oyo State.
Ajiboye, report in Ibadan on Tuesday, described education as capital intensive, adding that government alone could not carry the burden.
“We need private participation in order to sustain the current achievements in Oyo State; more funding is actually required both from the government and the private sector.
“Education infrastructure in the state needs to be revamped to meet the 21st century global standards.
“Teacher training and retraining are crucial for sustained achievements. This should also be backed up with teacher motivation and welfare,” he said.
The TRCN boss, while appreciating Gov. Seyi Makinde’s efforts in the education sector, noted the negative impacts from primary to tertiary levels due to high school fees.
This factor, he said, had ranked Oyo among the states with highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
“That situation has, however, been reversed now by Gov. Makinde, with the abolition of school fees in both primary and secondary schools in the state.
“Many children who dropped out of school are now back,” he said.
Ajiboye, who gave kudos to the state government, said that presently, schools now enjoy grants from the state, stressing that this had helped tremendously to reduce stress on the schools.
“When you look at our tertiary institutions in the state, reprieve has come the way of both staff and students under the current dispensation.
“When last did you hear of closures of tertiary institutions in Oyo State? That has become history under the present administration.
“Lecturers and other staff get their salaries as and when due; if I’m not mistaking, I think around 25th day of every month.
“When you have stability in the education sector, there will be growth and development,” he said.
“The same could also be said about recruitment of teachers and supporting staff for Oyo State schools.
“This administration has scored another high point in this area.
“If all these efforts are sustained, I have no doubt that education in the state will become a model for the whole country to emulate,” he said. (NAN)
