Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo State Government has disclosed that the enrolment of pupils in public primary schools in all the 18 Local Government Areas of the state has increased in the last three years due to its huge investment in the education sector, especially the provision of teaching materials and the introduction of free feeding programme in the schools.
The state-owned primary school has been battling with the poor enrolment of pupils, even as many pupils left the schools for private ones due to poor standards and facilities in the government schools.
However, the transformation brought by the Rotimi Akeredolu’s administration in the education sector with the building of new classrooms and the provision of technological-based amenities, especially solar energy in all the schools contributed to the increase in the enrolment of pupils in the schools.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Yemi Olowolabi, who took newsmen round some completed school buildings said the state government invested a huge sum of money into the education sector, adding that the investment has been yielding positive results with the performances of the pupils.
At the Muslim Primary School, Ile-Oluji in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of the state, where the state government demolished the old school structure and built a new one, the number of pupils in the school has increased to 300 from less than 100 that it was three years ago.
The headteacher of the school, Mrs. Elizabeth Ajayi confirmed the increase in the pupils’ enrolment, saying the government has made teaching easy with the provision of electronic-based teaching equipment in the school.
Ajayi further explained that the school needs chairs and tables for both teachers and pupils to complement the ones already put in place by the government. She stressed the need for the government to fence the school to avoid encroachment of the land by some disgruntled elements in the community, warning that the school is under the threat of land grabbers in the community.
Also at St Mathia’s Catholic Primary School, Ile-Oluji, the enrolment of pupils has increased from 110 to 390, just as books and other writing materials were provided by the state government for the pupils.
The headteacher of the school, Mr. Rotimi Olorunfunmilayo hinted that the teachers now undergo regular training and retraining programmes organised by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUEB), just as teaching aids were provided for them regularly.
However, he called on the state government to increase the number of chairs and tables provided for the school due to the increase in the number of pupils.
The information commissioner, Mr. Olowolabi while accessing the schools during the tour assured that the state government would furnish all the newly completed school buildings with modern chairs and tables to make learning conducive for the pupils.
Olowolabi stressed the need for the parents, teachers, and pupils to support the initiative of the present administration in improving the standard of education in the state. He said the government is determined to transform the education sector and ensure that the quality of teaching at the primary school level improves, hence the huge investment in the primary education system.