Governor Ademola Adeleke has shed more light on how Osun state achieved the extraordinary leap from 33rd to 7th position in national examination rating as released recently by the National Examination Council (NECO).
Speaking exclusively to Osun Spring Newspaper at the Government House this morning, Governor Adeleke said the result was the outcome of team work and direct implementation of several measures by his administration from 2022 to date.
The Governor explained that several reasons account for improved learning outcomes in Osun State, citing as number one reason the rapid improvement in the learning environment.
The state governor said several schools are being rehabilitated to provide a conducive environment for the students and pupils, listing over 150 schools as already rehabilitated.
He listed the decision of the administration to attend to the many needs of teachers across the schools as a major motivating factor, adding that “our teachers are well motivated and give their best to teach and support our students.
“Our government did a lot for the teachers in terms of service conditions. They told me they have rest of mind as regular payments of salaries and entitlements are not to be joked with”, the governor noted.
The Governor listed the engagement of former principals and vice principals whom he said has further stabilized the education system, noting that the decision blocks leakages in the learning process.
Aside from the above, Governor Adeleke said the administration has been conducting targeted training and retraining of teachers, a programme he said has further developed the capacity of the teachers across the state.
“Our government also regularly distributed learning materials of various types to the schools, teachers and students. The materials strengthen our schools, the teachers and the students”, Governor Adeleke stated.
He also gave kudos to the Parent and Teachers’ Association (PTA) for a renewed attention to family responsibility in the education of the students and pupils, commending the state PTA leadership for being strong partners with the government.
On teachers recruitment, the Governor said now that the government has consolidated the existing personnel within the schools, the next step is the release of letters to the first batch of new teachers.
According to the Governor, the financial implications for sustainability is being finalised to further add new personnel to the teachers poll.
He repeated his earlier position that the main target of the government is to attain first position in the national rating, pledging that the administration is doing more to achieve the first grade rating.
Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has announced his renewed commitment to human capital development.
He made the pledge while declaring open the District conference of the Rotary District 9126 at Ede.
The governor said he associates with the Rotary club today and all the time because his governance agenda aligns with that of the global club.
“Touching lives positively is the hallmark of a good leader. Contributing to the growth of the society is a must for all people -oriented leadership. What the Rotary club is doing at a non-governmental level is what our administration is implementing as a government”, the Governor told the audience which includes Governor Rauf Aregbesola
Governor Adeleke said we are addressing the needs of our people across age grades as we revived bursary payments to students and granted seniors free health services through the state health insurance scheme.
“We revive agriculture mechanisation to deploy farming as a tool against poverty. We reduced Osun infrastructure deficit by over 45 percent as we upgraded rural and urban infrastructure across the nine federal Constituencies.
“Our government restored pipe borne water in a statewide programme to rehabilitate our water works and water schemes. Primary health care has been strengthened to bring health care to the grassroots.
“Our administration places direct emphasis on human capital development, hence the regular payment of workers and pensioners’ entitlements. Workers welfare is indeed the number one item on our governance agenda.
“Our push to revive Osun society has been yielding positive results. Few days ago, Osun moved to 7th position on the national examinations rating from 33rd in 2022.
“Few weeks earlier, the Federal Debt Management Office confirmed that Osun has reduced its debt by over 45 percent. The state was placed 3rd on the debt reduction table among the 36 states.
“I invite us to note that while we are reducing our state debt, we are not borrowing to fund any existing project. All the mega projects in the infrastructure sector are being funded through our internally generated revenue, national allocations, among others”, the Governor told the audience.
