The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has approved the construction of 12 blocks of 900 smart classrooms in four schools in each zone across the state.

The four benefiting schools are Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta; Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode; Remo Secondary School, Sagamu; and Yewa College, Ilaro.

The governor also approved Monday, October 6, 2024, as a work-free day to enable teachers to celebrate the day.

Governor Abiodun made the announcement at this year’s Teachers’ Day celebration held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.

The governor also announced the absorption of 1,000 OgunTeach scheme interns into the State Teaching Service Commission, bringing the total to 5,000 since the inception of the administration.

Speaking further, the governor said approval has been given for the renovation of all special schools and an increment in the feeding allowance of pupils in special schools to make them feel a sense of belonging.

Abiodun, who acknowledged the contributions of teachers in molding the character of future generations, agreed to pay transport allowances to all public school teachers in place of the work-free days currently being enjoyed by other state government workers.

While noting that his administration has repositioned the education sector to serve the people better, he listed the Ogun Digitalized Multimedia Lesson Plan, where teachers would be equipped with the necessary resources to deliver effectively with centralized and digitized lesson plans, and the construction of the Central Education Management Information System (EMIS) for data gathering, analysis, and presentation, as part of the achievements in the sector.

Other achievements, according to Governor Abiodun, include the approval for the Ogun State Education Intervention Fund, the successful conduct of the BECE with the introduction of OMR (Optical Mark Reader) sheets, and the installation of ICT facilities in preparation for the flag-off of Nigeria Learning Passport for e-contents.

On why his administration did not access the 2020 UBEC funds, the governor said: “You recall that when I assumed office, this state had not accessed the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 funds. Shortly after I assumed office, we paid the counterpart funding for those four years, and we accessed the funding. The current one we are implementing is for 2018 and 2019.

“What I noticed is that most of the contracts were abandoned because of inflation; the pricing was not realistic. That was my number one observation.

“My second observation was that despite all these interventions, every now and then, you would see an Ogun State school in the news. You would see Ogun State learners sitting on 9-inch blocks and learning in schools without roofs, despite the fact that we have accessed UBEC or SUBEB funding.

“I realized that something had to be wrong, and what was that? I realized that the schools that are being thrown up were not the worst of the worst schools.

“We put a hold on the program, and I set up a task force headed by the Head of Service, and I mandated them to go around the nooks and crannies of the state and identify the worst of the worst schools so that we are no longer embarrassed.

“I am glad to tell you that the exercise has now been completed, and I had to personally call the UBEC Chairman and tell him that we had to rework our work plan, and that work plan has to reflect our peculiarities in Ogun State. We must not have schools that are not conducive for academic planning anymore.

“I am pleased to announce to you that the new work plan for UBEC that reflects our peculiarities has now been approved. So, two things we will be achieving: all the abandoned schools and abandoned projects from the 2018 and 2019 plans will now have a methodology for rewarding and completing them, and the 2020 work plan will now reflect the worst of the worst schools.”

While calling on all to reflect on the profound impact of education on individuals and the pivotal role of teachers in shaping not just the lives of children but the entire nation, the governor acknowledged the immense challenges in the teaching profession, noting, however, that despite the obstacles, teachers remain unwavering, ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has the chance to thrive.

“We believe that education is the bedrock of any meaningful socio-political and economic development, and teachers are the architects of that foundation. As Nelson Mandela rightly stated, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting educators through our ‘Building Our Future Together’ Agenda. Investing in education is an investment in the future of Ogun State. That is why we continue to improve teachers’ salaries, fund training programs, and ensure that every classroom is well-equipped,” Governor Abiodun assured.

In his opening remarks, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, noted that the theme of this year’s celebration aligns with the administration’s policy of engendering a new social order not only in the education sector but the whole state, appreciating teachers for their steadfastness in discharging their duties and the state government for repositioning the education sector.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Comrade Felix Agbesanwa, noted that the Dapo Abiodun-led administration has been mindful of teachers’ welfare through regular payment of salaries, promotions, and both foreign and local training for teachers.

He appreciated the present administration for recruiting more teachers through the OgunTeach scheme, renovating schools, and bringing sanity to the schools through the signing of undertakings by parents and students.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state, Comrade Sewakanu Oladipupo, said the day was set aside by the United Nations to celebrate the immense contributions of teachers in nation-building, adding that despite the present economic crunch, the administration has made the welfare of teachers and the education sector a priority.

The Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Evang. Lekan Ifede, in his goodwill message, described Ogun teachers as the best in the country, while his counterpart from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, lauded Governor Abiodun for investing heavily in the education sector over the last five years, which has shown in the performance of learners in various examinations and other academic activities.

Highlights of the celebration included the awarding of cash prizes to teachers, schools, and administrators who performed excellently in the previous academic year.

.…Ekiti teachers back Governor’s 2026 re-election

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji on Saturday presented a total 47.8 million naira as gifts to teachers who emerged best in different categories during this year’s Teachers’ Day celebrations in Ado- Ekiti, the state capital.

In a stern fashion, the Governor also stressed the resolve of his administration to stamp out examination malpractices in whatever form in order to maintain the integrity of the educational sector in the state.

The teachers also used the opportunity of the World Teachers Day celebration, which took place at Ekito Parapo Pavilion, Ado Ekiti to pass a vote of confidence in the education policies of the Oyebanji administration and endorsed the Governor for a second term in office.

They hinged their endorsement for the Governor on the need to further give him an unfettered opportunity to consolidate on the various programme and policies being implemented to revamp education in the state.

At the event with the theme: ‘Valuing Teachers’ Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education”, Mrs Modupe Folayemi of Saint Francis’ Primary school, Igbara Odo and Mr. Odunayo Oriloye of Notre Dame Grammar School, Usi Ekiti, received a whopping sum of N6 million each, as the best teachers in primary and secondary schools respectively.

Two teachers got the sum of N3 million each as first runners up, four received a sum of N1.5m each as second runners up, while 26 teachers were rewarded with N200,000 each as consolation prize.

The venue of the event was turned into a carnival, as teachers across educational cadres, adorned in Aso Ebi, electrified the arena in celebration of the annual event and praised the Governor for what they described as his teacher-friendly policies.

In his address at the event, the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers(NUT), Ekiti State, Com. Daodu Bamidele, announced that all the teachers are appreciative of the governor’s positively impactful educational policies and pronounced that they are solidly backing his reelection in 2026.

Daodu commended Oyebanji for his positive contributions to strengthen the sector, urging the government to initiate policies that will checkmate brain- drain in education and retain the best brains within the system.

To accomplish the foregoing, he sought immediate implementation of 65 years retirement for teachers, as obtainable in some states of the federation to give his colleagues job security and relevance in the scheme of things.

“All the teachers in our dear state are appreciative of what the Governor has done. He has paid some of the arrears owed by the past administration and also initiated new ones. For the 2026 governorship election, we want to say that we are solidly behind him”, he said.

In his submission, his counterpart in Academic Staff Union of Secondary School( ASUSS), Com Sola Adigun, advocated that the secondary school teachers should be given the leeway to ascend grade level 17 for better career progression.

In his address, Governor Oyebanji, represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said his government has ensured expeditious and timely payment of salaries, deductions, and approval of multimillion naira worth of housing and vehicle loans to motivate the teachers and shore up their outputs.

The governor, who described the teachers as the fortress of the education sector, promised to provide all the necessary incentives that could propel and buoy Ekiti’s rating in educational advancement of the country.

Miffed by reported cases of examination malfeasance in the system, the Governor warned that his government would not tolerate examination malpractices under any guise, promising to wield the big stick against promoters of such sordid action in the state.

“I want to sternly warn school managers at all levels that government has zero tolerance for examination malpractice and investigations are ongoing to look into some of the allegations of connivance in the promotion of examination malpractice in some schools which led to seizure of SSCE certificate examination.

“I haven’t sent any school manager to impress me with bogus result to prove anything to me. We are not in phony competition to earn fake glory that is cancerous to the future of our young ones.

“Ekiti has a great name as a land of scholarship, learning and integrity, we will not tolerate any unwholesome and unethical practice from ant school or staff that could tarnish this glorious reputation”, Oyebanji stated.

On efforts being devised to fortify the sector, Oyebanji said besides payment of salaries and other emoluments, that teachers were being trained locally and internationally to sharpen their mental horizons and increase propensity for better delivery.

The governor applauded the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary schools and Association of Public Schools Head teachers of Nigeria for their partnership, professionalism and cooperation at all times.

“It is on record that our administration has initiated car and housing loans for primary school teachers, ensured distribution of laptop computers to public secondary schools, colleges and special schools to mitigate the consequential personnel gap and regular disbursement of car/housing loans to eligible secondary school teachers, among others.

“Through the adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, a World Bank assured project, many of our public schools have been refurbished and perimeter fences have been constructed in line with our safe school initiative.

“We have also fulfilled our promise to address the issue of career progression for graduate teachers in primary schools by approving their advancement from grade level 15 to 16, so as to bring them to a parallel peak with their counterparts in the Civil Service”, he added.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed worry over huge administrative cost incurred by many public universities.

Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU President, said this while speaking with newsmen at a two-day programme organised by the union on the state of nation conference on Thursday in Abuja.

The theme of the conference is, “Nigeria in a State of general crisis: the search for a new path to development”.

Osodeke said that most of the internally generated funds from universities were nothing to write home about when compared to the daily or monthly running costs for electricity, security among others.

“We are so challenged, but let me give you a quick example, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, and University Nigeria, Nsuka; what they get from the government account for overhead running of the university in a month is N15million.

“Meanwhile, the University of Lagos needs about N200 million naira to pay electricity bill. It is this IGR that you talk about that is used to pay for the electricity.

“One of the universities today is closing down because they have been given electricity bill of N300 million naira.

“What government gives you to run the system is N15 million, and you get a bill for electricity alone of 300 million naira,”he said.

According to the ASUU president, the IGR is not enough to buy books in the library, or to run the library.

“For whatever reason, they have refused to fund the university systems as it was in the earlier part of our history.

“From the way we are going, if nothing is done, many universities will close up because they can not afford the so called band A and Band B,”he said.

Osodeke also said that the economic situation of some academics in the country had become worrisome.

He said that farming had become even more lucrative for academicians, especially as some professors earned lower than N300,000 per month, and still publish journals.

He also criticised the proliferation of Universities in the country, adding that they are merely running on skeletal manpower as most of the academic staff were out of the country searching for greener pastures.

He said that the situation within the university system was very disturbing.

He also noted how rigging was perpetrated by the polictical class, which warranted ASUU members to stay away from electoral processes after the 2015 general elections.

Osodeke added that, academicians still presiding over elections were doing so in their individual capacities, not as ASUU members.

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, called on ASUU to shelve its planned strike.

Abbas said that there must be other alternative means of resolving industrial disputes in the university system other than the regular resort to strike.

“We must equally strive to maintain industrial harmony and stability through alternative dispute resolution,”he said.