By Waheed Adekunle
It is evident that the present administration in Osun led by Governor Rauf Aregbesola has since inception committed largest chunks of the state’s resources to revamp education sector as this is manifested in the achievements recorded so far.
Reports have shown that the three senatorial districts of the state namely: Osun Central Senatorial District, Osun West Senatorial District and Osun East Senatorial District had in the last six and a half years witnessed a tremendous change and geometric progression not only in the education sector but in all aspects of human endeavours.
The giant strides however did not stop at Senatorial District but rather moved across the nine Federal Constituencies in the state.
The Aregbesola’s administration resolve to take bull by the horn in the education sector coupled with his genuine policy that gave masses particularly the vulnerable the ample opportunities to access quality public education without hindrance had increased the soaring popularity of the state and as well made Osun a state of reckoning among her peers.
The All Progressives Congress-led government in the state had in no doubt showcased to the entire world that free education is not a lip service but a practical exercise that must reflect and manifest in the lives of the masses particularly those whose income are at lowest ebb.
The policy of “every child must go to school” initiated by the Aregbesola led administration had not only rejuvenated the education sector but rekindled the interest and willingness to public education as education facilities being put in place outsmart those at the private schools.
The initiative widen the scope of public school enrollment at a very impressive percentage and as well giving the parent an ultimate access to functional and quality public education as this could be genuinely justified on the pupils and students’ performances both in internal and external examinations since 2010.
Moreover, it has been consistently reported that Osun’s education model had not only taken the centre point of the national education policy but contributed significantly to modern education system and structure in the world.
The impacts and imparts of Osun’s education policy which had been nationally and internationally adopted and replicated however made Osun to be the first state in Nigeria to record such feat in the history of this country.
Let take for instance, the below efforts genuinely made by the present administration in Osun West Senatorial District as regards educational infrastructure and renaissance.
Osun West Senatorial District has enjoyed a minimum of N11 billion (N10, 810,000,000.00) worth of investment in the education sector since 2010 till now.
It is on record that six Model Elementary schools were built and commissioned with 150 classrooms across the Osun West Senatorial District while two of these schools were built in Iwo Local Government, one in Ayedaade Local Government, one in Ayedire Local Government and two in Ede South Local Government.
In the same vein, nothing less than seven Model Middle schools were built and commissioned with 175 classrooms across Osun West Senatorial District where one of these state-of-the-art schools was built in Irewole Local Government; one in Ejigbo Local Government, two in Iwo Local Government, two in Ayedaade Local Government and one in Irewole Local Government.
Also, four Model High Schools were built and commissioned across the Osun West Senatorial District where one of these model schoold was built in Ejigbo Local Government, one in Ede South Local Government, one in Iwo Local Government and one in Irewole.
Likewise, more than 600 classrooms across 100 models schools renovated in conjunction with UBEB, 2,094 sets furniture supplied to the schools across the ten LGAs made of Osun West Senatorial District.
Also, about 20 scholar buses and 50 personnel deployed to the Senatorial District and more than 50,000 students have benefited from the Opon-Imo project in 3 years.
It is also on records that over 2,000 OYES cadets from Osun West Senatorial District were deployed to different schools as teachers just as about 1, 076 regular teachers were recruited from same zone while 900 teachers were trained in 26 different training programmes and workshops.
In addition, more than 6,000 teaching and non-teaching staff were promoted from Osun West Senatorial District while more than 84,000 pupils gets fed daily under school feeding programmes through which 1,000 cooks were employed all from the Senatorial District.
The statistics had shown that about 68 million delicious meals have been served since 2012 across 500 schools in the Osun West Senatorial District, while 300,000 school uniforms were distributed free to students across the 10 LGAs of the Senatorial District.
The government’s achievement in the state of Osun is not only limited to the West Senatorial District, however, for lack of time and space, we would write on the achievement of the current administration in the other Senatorial district in the part two of this treatise.
Waheed Adekunle wrote in from Osogbo.
