Oyo to organise fund raising for education improvement

Captains of industries, company heads, philanthropists, wealthy and influential Nigerians are billed to commit funds to supplement the provision of education in Oyo state in a fund raising programme proposed for November.

The fund raising programme to be driven by the Oyo State Education Trust Fund is to facilitate a pool of funds for completion of intervention projects and the improvement of service delivery in education.

According to Chairman, Oyo ETF, Chief Mrs Onikepo Akande, at a meeting with some education stakeholders in Ibadan, the fund gathered at the event would help repair dilapidating infrastructure and facilitate quality assurance in schools.

Noting teething challenges in raising funds for the trust fund thus far, she urged public institutions to remit the statutory one per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue, while private institutions were to remit one per cent of fees paid by students.

Akande also harped on the need for old students, alumni, philanthropists to contribute to education funding, assuring that a new dawn beckoned in the education sector of the state.

Among other means to raise funds, Executive Secretary, Oyo ETF, Mrs Adenike Okunade, hinted of plans to have elected and appointed political office holders contribute some percentage of their salaries to the fund.

While speaking, Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Education, Science and Technology, Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi, noted that the state was poised to improve upon its feat in the 2017 West African School Certificate Examination, through focus on improved quality of teaching and learning, learning environment and curriculum.

Some stakeholders at the meeting were State Universal Education Board, Board for Technical and Vocational Education and library board.