…says education sector in Kwara to witness massive transformation
The governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has vowed to make public schools in the state the first choice of the people in terms of the quality and relevance of infrastructure and teaching staff in the digital age.
He stated that his administration’s commitment to education is evident as the state recently surpassed the UNESCO budgetary threshold of 26%.
The governor disclosed this while speaking during the Kwara Education Futures Summit held on Thursday at the State Banquet Hall in Ilorin, the state capital city.
He added that the summit will analyse the current state of education in Kwara and develop actionable plans to build a new generation who can hold their own anywhere in the world.
The governor said, “Today opens a new chapter in our quest for a new Kwara. My team and I believe that sustainable development can only be anchored on solid education. This is why my first preoccupation in office had been to check up on the state of our schools. It was a sorry tale. The basic education had simply collapsed.
“We got down to work immediately. Two years down the road, my team and I are proud to report that the situation has changed. We have restored our relationship with key partners after years of blacklist. We have reshaped public perception about teaching by engaging the best minds into the system. Work is ongoing in some 600 basic schools to give our children a befitting learning environment.”
Saying despite government’s efforts, huge gaps still exist, he furthered, “For instance, our recent school census across four local government areas shows that 41% of our teachers are absent at their duty post. No single teacher was seen in 54 of the 368 schools sampled, while 23% of students on head teachers’ records were not in school during the census. Only 15% of the schools sampled were rated as needing no repair, implying that 85% of our classrooms require various forms of rehabilitation. The picture is bleaker when you consider the availability or adoption of technology in our schools. The gender parity index for the ratio of girls to boys in our school is another source of worry.
“So, we need everyone on board. We do not have all the answers. And we certainly do not have enough resources that will provide the right environment for every Kwara child to thrive in the new world, irrespective of their social standing. “
“Already, we are building a legal framework to support our efforts. We now have a bill for a law to establish Kwara State Education Trust Fund. When passed, this fund will supplement the sector’s finance, promote technologies, and leapfrog the sector’s development through our Kwara Education Transformation Agenda (KWETA) plan,” he said.
The summit, which featured several notable speakers and panelists, is meant to analyse the current state of education in Kwara and develop actionable plans to build a new generation who can hold their own anywhere in the world.
Kwara Education Futures Summit 2021 | The Informant247 News Nigeria