The value of Oyo Education Trust Fund

BUILDING   a viable system that is capable of facilitating sustainable growth across all sectors in Oyo State has been a major concern of the state government since the inception of the present administration.

Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the man at the helm of affair, has no substitute in his diary for quality education at all levels of learning. This, among other factors, gave impetus to the birth of N50bn Education Trust Fund (ETF) launched on the 21st of November, 2017 in Ibadan.

The ETF initiative is designed to transform the quality of education at all levels, and to provide educational facilities and capacity building for teachers and students.

No doubt, education plays vital roles in the development of any nation, be it formal or informal. It remains a platform for man to acquire the knowledge needed to become experts in various fields at a given period of time.

It is also a process of teaching, training and learning new concepts to improve and develop human knowledge and skills for optimum production.

However, the beauty of  access to structured, quality education in the jet age is not limited to personal gains like getting good jobs, access to good living standard and recognitions. It is an avenue for citizens to compete favourably in any field in comity of nations.

Sometimes, over reliance on government to offer quality education has affected the outputs of students across the country. The lack of funds for infrastructure in schools and the inability of teachers to constantly benefit from local and international workshops for improved output also contribute to student’s low performance.

Also, many teachers equally fail to give their best in class due to the lack of motivation which could be traced to either their own negligent attitude or irregular payment of salaries.

The ETF initiative by the Oyo State government to put education sector in its premier position in Nigeria and attain enviable heights is therefore a right step in the step direction.

This initiative will complement other laudable programmes by the Ajimobi administration to restore the lost glory of education in the state. The setting up of  School Governing Boards is already yielding fruitful results and infrastructure are springing up in schools across the state.

Retraining the trainers is  also not left out and the OYOMESI programme to maintain balance between character and proficiency in various schools has also added to the drive to turn around education.

To build on the landmark achievements recorded so far, there is a need for urgent and active participation of corporate bodies and well-to-do individuals to assist in funding the sector.

This is a clarion call to them to help in financing education as the government cannot do it alone. According to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, ETF is meant to enable the state to acquire world class facilities and harness resources that would bring the kind of difference that really matters in the sector.

Damola Adegoke

Media Officer

Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters

Oyo State