Osun Innovates On Schools’ Management

One of the first acts in office, after the Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola was sworn in as the 8th Osun governor on November 27, 2010, was the convening of egg-heads, particularly in the education sector at an education summit. It was chaired by Prof Wole Soyinka. Top on the list of outcome of the summit were rehabilitation of existing schools and construction of brand new ones across the state.
Since then, the Aregbesola government has never relented in its quest to redefine the environment of learning for Osun children. From the ashes of the death traps and collapsing buildings of public schools, about two hundred schools are being constructed across the state.
The plan is to construct 100 brand new state-of-the-art Elementary Schools, 50 Middle Schools and 20 High Schools. About 40 of them have been completed and put to use so far, including 14 Elementary Schools, 15 Middle Schools and 11 High Schools.
With current feat in education generally, and particularly in infrastructure in the state, Aregbesola is being pragmatic as far as the saying “the willing spirit of a horse takes it to the skies, even without wings” is concerned. Even as Nigeria suffers economically from distasteful fallout of unprecedented corruption under PDP 16 year rule, Osun government remains steady and focused in the provision of quality education. It takes the willing spirit in a leader to achieve this.
So far, strategies put in place in respect of allocations earmarked for school infrastructure in the state is strong, such that such funds cannot go for other purposes. As far as the Aregbesola Government is concerned, “public schools can be the best and be returned to the preeminent position it occupied in the past”.
Today, quality of basic education and performance of the students, especially at elementary level, has greatly improved geometrically.
Before Aregbesola came on board, a paltry N200 was allocated as running cost on each pupil in public schools under PDP government. Today, the story has changed. It is now N400 for each elementary pupil in government schools and N500 for each of them in higher schools. This is in addition to timely and adequate supply of modern instructional and learning materials to all schools.
Also at the elementary level, about 254,000 children are taken care of under the free school meal programme tagged O’Meals. It is expected that the programme would be extended beyond current beneficiaries, especially when the Federal Government commenced on the programme nationwide. It would be recalled that the idea was adopted from the Aregbesola’s initiative.
Today across modern climes, the character of a society is measured beyond the character of the men and women living in it. Buildings and other architecture are yardstick by which human society is classified. The condition and quality of buildings in a society reflect public pride or indifference of the people. It reflects the level of prosperity, social values and behaviour of the people, as well as all the many influences of both their past and present, which combine to give the community its unique character. Apparently, this is part of the reasons why Governor Aregbesola is keen about the aesthetics of the structure of every school building that is being constructed across Osun. According to him, the “plan (of government) is to ensure that our school buildings are about the most beautiful structure around the neighbourhoods.
However, to achieve this important plan, it is very needful that strategies are put in place for proper management and maintenance of education infrastructure in the state. Hence, current plan of the Aregbesola government to out-source the management of the eleven 3000-capacity state of the art high schools is commendable. The initiative is starting with the already commissioned Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
REQUEST FOR SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SERVICE
On behalf of the State Government of Osun, Phillips Consulting Limited, is requesting for proposals from School Management Service Providers (individuals and organizations) who will provide an End-to-End School Administration to effectively deliver the goal of the State Government of Osun.
For details, please log kn to: http://www.phillipsconsulting.net/os-service-supplier