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By Stephen Adeleye.
Kogi Government on Wednesday reiterated the need for urgent intervention in the education sector by private and individual operators as government cannot do it all alone.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, made the call at the inauguration ceremony of a Science Laboratory Block, at Agala Community Secondary School, Agala Ate, Dekina Local Government Area.
Osikoya said the state government wanted individual, community, group, and private organisations to intervene in the sector to help ameliorate some of the challenges especially in schools.
The commissioner restated that the private sector could assist in the area of infrastructure, library, laboratory, science and technical equipment to enhance learning, reading, technical and vocational skills of the students.
Osikoya added that the intervention from the government would come inform of learning aides, teaching tools, training, good policy, regulation and control.
According to her, the budgetary allocation to the education sector in the state has been increased to a double digits by the governor to enable it attain the 26 per cent set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
She urged the concerned stakeholders to develop themselves, imbibe the right attitude and paradigm shift in their value system for capacity building.
“For education to work effectively in the world you will find out that you need every stakeholder to do their bit.
“Recently, the World Bank launched World Development Report in Abuja, and part of that report is that the standard of education in some parts of the world have suffered unexpected poor performance and Nigeria is one of them.
“The Hon Minister for Education was there and part of the conclusion was that there was a need for realignment and cohesion among stakeholders and the need for alternative funding to support the education sector.
“Sadly in the case of Kogi, you discover that there has not been significant private partnership support for education which has badly affected the sector in the state.
“For us to make progress in Kogi, part of what His Excellency said in the New Direction Blueprint, is that all category of stakeholders need to support the sector.
“What we have today is that Hon Hassan Abdullahi is setting the pace in what should be the right accepted norm in every society. Individual and private stakeholders can make our community to work.
“This school, Agala Community Secondary School is strictly funded by the community, without any kind of grant or aid from the government; so, it is a successful story of community participation in education development.
“The school was established in 2000 about 18 years ago, and they are doing well with over 600 students, the Hon has done well in supporting the school with the Science Laboratory.
“It is a challenge to all of us that whatever our callings are whether you are a diplomat, civil or public servant, there is something you can give back to the community.
“This community recruits and pay their teachers by themselves, generate their IGR, and they could also access grant and aids from other sources other than Government.
“So, I want to congratulate this community and the Honorable by expressing the compliment of the governor to him. Hon Abdullahi has walked the talk of GYB.
“Government is interested that the quality of education in the state is not comprised even in the schools that are not established by government.
“We believe that funding in Kogi state will improve, Gov Bello has named education as one of his five thematic areas and he has given his assurance to improve quality in the sector.
“So, this school can expect as other schools in the state that they would receive the available support from the state government with lots of other benefits”, the commissioner said.
Earlier, Hon Hassan Abdullahi, a Member Representing Okura Constituency, Kogi House of Assembly (KHA), who donated the laboratory, said he chose to build a Science laboratory because the teaching of science was almost dying in schools.
According to Abdullahi, If you call yourself a science student and their is no practical equipment to work with, how will you come out as a better scientist?
“That is why immediately the Principal told me that one of the school challenges was Science Laboratory, I agreed to do it in no time; the construction lasted for just three months.
“If I am not educated I will not be where I am today; when you educate a person, you are giving him a future. I was not privileged to go to private school, but even at that, God helped us.
“So, I take it as a challenge to see how I can do something for the school, and I took it upon myself to do the needful with the little I have in the education and other sector,” he said.
Abdullahi, who doubles as the Deputy Speaker, KHA, added: “I am happy the school management and the community appreciate the gesture, and this has encouraged me to do other projects.
“Very soon, the laboratory equipment will arrive for installation. The building took us just about three months, so the equipment can be delivered in a matter of just a day”.
The School Principal, Mr Yahaya Mogebes, on behalf of community and the school management expressed his gratitude to the Lawmaker for the gesture, saying it was the first of its kind in the school.
Mogebes also thanked the commissioner for her visit to the school, urging the state government to assist them in accessing grant and aid, construction of more classrooms, borehole and access road.
Many water projects executed by the deputy speaker which cut across all the communities of Okura State Constituency, were also inaugurated.
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