Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof. Femi Akinwumi, yesterday disclosed that the state government had paid the sum of N7.3 billion as counterpart funding to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for the execution of projects in public primary and secondary schools in the last two years.
The chairman made the disclosure in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, while briefing journalists on the activities of the body and its strides to improve basic education in the state.
Akinwumi stated that the state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, decided to pay such amount of money owing to priority placed on basic education as well as his determination to turn around the state education sector.
He regretted that the state primary education was neglected in the four years of the immediate-past government.
Akinwumi assured the people of the state that the state public schools would be remodeled to the point that there would be influx of pupils from private schools to public schools, which he said had started manifesting across the state.
According to him, “I am product of public school, as well as other accomplished academics and professionals in the state. So we have to do our best to reposition public schools in Ekiti State.
“The governor has the interest of basic education in the state at heart. He has been doing a lot to promote that cadre of education by building structures, providing instructional materials and offering training to teachers.
“If the state had been able to pay the sum of N 7.3 billion counterpart funding within two years, then you would know how committed we are to education in the state.
“For four years in the state, between 2014 and 2018, there was no construction or training at that level SUBEB, but the present administration has been able to change that.
“By 2021, you will see model colleges springing up in the state. We have got four model schools in 2020 named after prominent Ekiti indigenes-Prof. Banji Akinyoye , Senator Ayo Fasanmi , Chief Deji Fasuan and Prof David Oke. All the schools are fully occupied by pupils.
“We are trying to depopulate the private schools, because the people are beginning to move in droves to the public primary and secondary schools, having seen the rising quality of education in the state public schools.”
