Ogun to spend N9.50bn on completion of model schools, others

Ogun Government has finalised plans to spend over N9.50 billion for the completion of model schools across the three senatorial districts in the state.

The state also said that part of the fund was for the rehabilitation of 228 blocks of four classrooms each, across the 20 local government areas in the state.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Sefiu Rasheed, said this while defending the 2019 budget proposal of the Ministry before members of the Ogun Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation in Abeokuta.

The permanent secretary said on Friday that the state government was committed to consolidating on the successes of its free and qualitative education programmes in the state.

He noted that the ministry had proposed a total budget of N16.15 billion out of which N14.50 billion would take care of capital projects and the remaining N1.65 billion set aside for recurrent expenditure, with N2 billion being proposed as revenue target for 2019.

He noted that the ministry during the outgoing year generated over N914m representing 73 per cent of its revenue, promising to redouble its effort at providing equitable, qualitative and affordable education in the state.

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Rasheed assured that government would continue to chart a revolutionary course in the education sector for the provision of social services as a foundation for the economic, industrial and social rejuvenation of the State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (SEEDS).

In a related development, the Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Olatunde Okewole, said the agency proposed a sum of N5.1 billion to construct new classrooms in the public primary schools in 2019.

He explained that the board would provide a more conducive environment for the acquisition of formal education with a view to increasing pupil enrollment, thereby eliminating illiteracy in the society.

Okewole stated that more developmental policies would be evolved to ensure easy access to formal basic education towards capturing all children of school age in full observation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Law.

In view of the foregoing, the chairman proposed a budget size of N18.14 billion, out of which N17.5 billion was earmarked for capital projects, while the remaining N645 million was set aside for salaries and allowances with expected revenue of N21.48 million.