Education: Abiodun Seeks Partnership With Corporate Bodies, Individuals, Old Students Associations

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state on Friday called on individuals, corporate bodies and old students associations of schools in the state to partner with his administration in its efforts towards repositioning the education sector.

The governor also called on well-to-do individuals and organisations as well as Old Students associations to adopt a school through his administration’s Adopt-a-School Programme.

Abiodun made the calls in his address at a public lecture commemorating the 92nd Anniversary of the Government College Ibadan Old Boys’ Association, held in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The theme of the lecture is ‘Covid-19 Pandemic and Its Devastating Effect on World Affairs.

“Let me call on all well-meaning individual and businesses, old students of various schools from Ogun state and of course from outside the state to come and join us in this journey of rebuilding our education sector, government can definitely not do it alone.

“We have a programme we call adopt-a-school, the pictures of the schools are now loaded to a website where you can look at these schools. You adopt anyone and then you can begin to monitor the progress, you will find us a worthy partners,” the governor said.

Abiodun informed the gathering that what his administration met on ground in terms of educational infrastructure wasn’t good enough for the state, saying the bad state of the infrastructure led his administration to declare a state of emergency in the education sector.

He disclosed that his administration has so far rehabilitated over nine hundred schools with all the necessary infrastructure, stressing that more can be achieved with the help of the private sector.

While reiterating that his administration would continue to develop the health infrastructure in the state, Abiodun commended the state health team as well as the Federal Government for being responsive and proactive during the ravaging pandemic.

He noted further that his administration at had been scientific and deliberate in developing the health sector, adding Ogun under his watch was the first in the country to acquire its own molecular laboratory as well as a mobile testing laboratory with the capacity of testing over four hundred and fifty people per day.

Earlier in his remarks, former president Olusegun Obasanjo who called on state governments across the country to handover the responsibility of running of schools to old students associations, declaring “education is so serious and critical that it shouldn’t be in the hands of government alone”.

He added, “It is my belief that state governments should hand over the responsibility of schools to old students associations; this step will relief government more. All they need to do is to lay down necessary guidelines.

In his welcome address, the President of Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association; Dr. Wale Babalakin, while charging old students of various schools across the country to join hands with government at various levels to make education better, added that their support would go a long way at ensuring that the finances of government isn’t over stretched.