W’Bank initiative strengthened Ekiti school enrolment – Commissioner

Taiwo Olatunbosun, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, on Sunday, said the World Bank-assisted Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning has seen the successful reform of infrastructure in 203 public schools.

The commissioner noted that the initiative, which included providing essential learning materials such as charts, maps, and furniture, led to a significant 16.9% surge in enrolment in public secondary schools across the state, marking a substantial improvement in education access and participation.

He, therefore, lauded AGILE for its numerous projects and programmes which he said had added value to education in the state.

The commissioner, in a statement in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, disclosed this after an assessment tour of education projects across the state.

Olatunbosun, who said that AGILE had made judicious use of the funds that accrued to it in the execution of projects in the state, said, “The amount allocated to Ekiti State is $25m. Of the amount $21.42m has been assessed. As of date, $19.92m has been disbursed.”

He reiterated Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration’s commitment to the provision of qualitative education at all levels.

“AGILE has surpassed its primary target of enhancing school enrolment, assisting economically disadvantaged students, promoting academic achievements and reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.

“AGILE has substantially boosted conducive teaching and learning environment in the state with the overhaul of infrastructure in 203 public schools through School’s Improvement Grants classified into small, medium and massive categories,” he said.

The commissioner listed the projects executed under the AGILE scheme to include “613 toilets, 923 classrooms, 31 school perimeter fencing and 59 boreholes.”

He added that “2,470 teaching and learning materials, including charts, maps, graphs, posters, textbooks, educational software, laboratory equipment and 4,012 pieces of furniture were also procured, which culminated in 16.9 per cent increase in enrolment from 111,546 to 130,357 in public secondary schools in the state.”

The commissioner hinged the achievement recorded by the AGILE programme on the state government’s commitment and diligence of the Project Implementation Unit, describing the project as appropriate and in tandem with Governor Oyebanji’s resolve to provide qualitative education.

Olatunbosun said that Ekiti was the first sub-national in the country to launch the AGILE project at the state level in April 2023 when the governor’s wife, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, officially launched the scheme in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

He said Oyebanji’s dedicated to educational excellence necessitated his declaration of free and compulsory education at both primary and secondary school levels in the state, at the inception of his administration, adding that this move had helped in raising school enrolment in the state to one of the highest in the country.

He added that Governor Oyebanji also promised the readiness of his government to forge a strong partnership with intending private investors to boost education, assuring that the war against illiteracy and school dropout would be total under his administration.

“The governor has repeatedly stressed his belief that ideas rule the world and the only way you can get ideas is through knowledge, while the only means to acquire knowledge is through education.

“We, therefore, decided to prioritise access to quality education because we also know that the quality, relevance and functionality of education are very important,” Olatunbosun said.

Governor Oyebanji paid N6.2bn as Universal Basic Education Commission counterpart funding, as part of efforts to strengthen quality education in the state.

The governor, who revealed at an event late last year, said his administration “in addition to the payment of N6.2bn UBEC counterpart fund, has also deployed over N400m to offset debts owed contractors handling projects at the SUBEB.”