Aregbesola Inaugurates Maintenance Committee For Osun Schools, Tasks Them On Effective Management

Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has inaugurated a community based management committee to see to the effective maintenance of public school facilities across the state.

The committee members drawn from all the 30 Local Governments in the state are grouped in three categories separately for all the local governments in the state for the Elementary, Middle and High Schools respectively.

Speaking at the inauguration held at the Government Technical College in Osogbo, Ogbeni Aregbesola pointed out that the move is aimed at returning the schools to the communities which he described as the original owners for easy management and maintenance.

He said, “the government is inaugurating the committee because it is believed that the community owns education and they are the ones who can manage better than anybody.

While explaining the importance of education to the society, Governor Aregbesola stressed that education is very critical because it is an area where no society can afford to fail, emphasizing that it is only through education that the society can amend the past, meet up the present and safeguard the future.

The Governor among other objectives charged members of the committee to source for funds to maintain and manage the schools without creating unnecessary burden on parents and pupils but to find a way of assisting them.

He also charged the committee to identify the school needs and lapses so as to find lasting solutions to them, while also explaining to them not to see their appointment into the various committees as a political reward but a call to be part of history.

He said,”It makes good sense to know that community based approach to school management is the best approach anywhere in the world as it is effective in the management of our schools”

“We are spending so much in the education sector because education is critical to every society, it is an area where no society can afford to fail, the education sector is important because it is through education that a society can meet up with the present and safeguard the future”

“Education is the primary foundation of every development, the technology of building, architecture science among others are acquired through education, so there is nothing you can do without education”

“With the trends in the world, the whole world is now going digital and one can not but conclude that the future belongs to only the educated”

“To the newly inaugurated committee, I want them to know that this assignment should not be seen as a political reward, you should rather see it as a call to be part of history because our government is bent in changing the face of education in the state of Osun and we will be surely remembered for it”

“I want to also assure you that there will be prices for the community management committee that performs exceptionally” the governor noted.

In her address, the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Grace Titilaoye Tomori charged the members of the committee to see the new school facilities as that of their individual community property, saying their jobs is to ensure that the schools are well managed.

Mrs. Tomori who doubled as Commissioner of Education, held that the current government has seriously invested huge resources on education, having considered it as a pivot to all kinds of development, saying to this generous initiative, there is a need for the committee to perform their responsibilities diligently.

The Deputy Governor who described the task of the committee as a great challenge that must be faced squarely with utmost sense of responsibility, honesty and commitment, reiterating that the time has come for the committee to prove its quality in the area being saddled with.

Mrs. Tomori however implored the committee to perform its responsibility as expected and not let the government down in the confidence reposed in them to oversee and maintain of such gigantic facilities in their respective posts.

“Our government has identified education as the pivot of development, that is why we didn’t look back at all in our drive to take education to the greater heights we all desired in the state”

“without any sense of doubt, the job of this committee is to ensure that our schools are well maintained.

“In as much as members of this committee is being drawn from various communities and as well made of people at the grassroots, therefore nothing else is expected than excellent performance.

“As for your oversight functions, members of this committee are further charged to participate in every activity going on in their various schools most on the area of home grown feeding called O’meal

“Every facilities’ manager is expected as a matter of necessary and oversight function to monitor the O’meal vendors in order to quality service delivery and better performance.

“All the schools are to be managed by the communities because we believe you are all stakeholders and that’s why we have brought together all the lovers of education to be part of the committees in the all the local government”, Mrs. Tomori opined.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, State Universal Basic Education Board, Alhaji Fatai Kolawole enjoined members of the committee to see themselves as owners of the facilities and schools at large in their various communities.

He called on them to see the inauguration as an opportunity to support the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola in his bid to change the face of education in the state of Osun.

“It is our belief that the committees can assist government in the proper management of the education facilities which government has spent so much money to put in place”, he stated.