Stakeholders in the education sector, yesterday commended the Ayodele Fayose-led administration in Ekiti State for its policies that aided the state to come first in this year’s senior secondary school leaving examinations conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO).
It would be recalled that the State government had prior to the examinations established 171 lecture centres across 16 local government areas in the state which was meant to equip final year students in public secondary schools sitting for WAEC and NECO examinations. The various groups, which comprised Association of Nigerian Conference of Secondary School Principals, a teachers’ pressure group, The Positive Minds, Parents Teachers Association among others, also commended the governor for fully implementing the recommendations of last year’s Education Summit held in the state.
This is just as Governor Ayodele Fayose promised that Core Subject Allowance would be paid next month, while the Teachers Day would be marked with the giving of brand new cars to best teachers in both primary and secondary school levels.
Speaking first, the Ekiti State Chairman of ANCOPPS, Mr Biodun Omotosho, said the governor’s commitment to improving the sector really paid off.
” We have a teacher-friendly governor and the NECO feat is a reflection of all the efforts of His Excellency since he assumed office. We had an Education Summit last year and all the recommendations were made by us, stakeholders, and were fully implemented. Intervention programmes such as giving grants to schools, provision of laboratory equipment, the introduction of Mock Examination for final year students, extra classes even on Saturdays were introduced and we were also given a compendium of past examinations for students to go through.
“Before Governor Fayose came back, there was a policy mistrust between teachers and the government. We were not sure of whether our jobs would be taken from us, but you came to office and gave us hope and rest of mind. Today, we are seen as partners not as mere employees that could be thrown away like refuse,” he said.
The Chairman of the Education Summit, who is also the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Ademola Ajakaiye, said Governor Fayose had helped in revamping the sector.
”I feel so happy and encouraged that the efforts of the governor and all of us have impacted positively on our students and I feel happy. In his first term, the standard of education was high and the standard is improving and we need to maintain that. I want to congratulate the teachers and the students and I want the teachers to think about the future of the country by teaching our children and improving the standard of education,” he said.
The Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Obas, the Ologotun of Ogotun-Ekiti, Oba Oladapo Oyebade, said the governor had proven to the world what it takes to lead and achieve positive results.
”His first tenure saw the motivation of teachers by creating the position of Tutor-General and giving rewards to best teachers at primary and secondary school levels. He has motivated the teachers in a big way and we have a commissioner that is up and doing too. Education is a partnerihp between the pupils, the parents, teachers and the goverment and we must all play our parts. Parents have to buy books and motivate their wards.The students should also be put on the path of rigetheousness.
”The inspectorate arm of the ministry too must not relent,” he stated.
The spokesman for Education Secretaries, Mr Sunday Agunbiade, said the governor was also bold enough to implement some policies that many people might have misconstrued initially.
“When the governor asked parents to pay the examinations fees of their wards, some wanted to read political meaning to it, but in the end, parents also ensured that their children did not waste their resources. Also the cancellation of automatic promotion for students and serious crackdown on examination malpractice put the students on their toes,” he noted.
In his remarks, Governor Fayose dedicated the feat to all stakeholders in the sector, especially the teachers.
“We would have got to this level earlier than now. During my first term in office, we moved from 35 position in WAEC and NECO to eighth and seventh and we were on the verge of coming tops before I was removed from office. We thank God that we have got to this great height now. I am assuring all that we won’t relent and we will maintain the standard. We are going to come first in WAEC as well.
“Our appreciation and motivation of teachers will continue. We are paying the Core Subject Allowance next month and during this year’s Teachers’ Day, the best teachers in primary and secondary school levels will still go home with brand new cars like we used to do. This is a great gift for the state as we mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of our state,” he said.
The governor also expressed delight that the School of Nursing and the School of Midwifery of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital recorded 100 percent success in their qualifying examinations.
Fayose had recently said the secrets behind the outstanding performance of his state’s candidates at the just released results of the National Examination Council (NECO, 2016) and earlier results of the West African Examination Council (WAEC, 2015-2016) in which the state’s candidates’ performance improved significantly, saying it was due to the immense efforts he has put in supporting education in the state.
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