Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has reiterated his desire to reposition education in the state, in view of the unimpressive performance of the state in the public examinations.
Ajimobi, who made this known at the seventh Annual Ramadan lecture, organised by the Oyo State Judiciary Muslim Community, held at Oyo State High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, decried that the state came 26th out of 36 states in the last Senior School Certificate Examination.
Speaking on the theme: “The state of the nation and lingering poverty,” Ajimobi, represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Mudathir Ganiyu, associated the challenges faced by the state in the education sector to poverty.
He expressed displeasure at the unimpressive performance of students of the state in public examinations, assuring of determination to revamp the sector to a pride of place.
Ajimobi reiterated that the state had no intention to sell any school to individuals, groups or intend to return schools to their former owners, but that the state, in view of the parlous state of the nation’s economy, needed other persons or groups to assist the government in its plan to reposition the education sector of the state.
He noted that the state required support of others with handling its 631 secondary schools and about 15,000 teachers.
He reiterated that no decision, as of now, had been taken, maintaining that the state government would carry all stakeholders along in its policies.
Ajimobi called attention to the dilapidated nature of educational infrastructure in the state, ranging from lack of basic facilities to truancy.
Guest lecturer on the occasion, Dr Abdulhamid Adekunle, advised every individual to give priority to the education of their children, especially moral education.
Adekunle, Chief Iman of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, also enjoined leaders to be conscious of the fact that they had only limited time on earth, adding that they would be accountable to Allah when they leave earth.
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