Education: DAWN Commission adopts Oyo SGBs template.

THE Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, (DAWN) Commission has adopted School Governing Board (SGB) educational policy by Oyo state government towards enhancing educational development in the South West region.

Oyo state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela stated this on Thursday in Ibadan at the official commissioning of renovated and equipped physics laboratory; a project executed by the old girls (1968-1972 set) of St. Anne’s School, Molete.

The Commissioner said, “I am happy to tell you today that the School Governing Board (SGB) has been accepted by DAWN commission. All schools in the Southwest will adopt SGB as their educational policy”.

He added that the School Governing Boards (SGBs) in the past one year has expended no fewer than N2b on school infrastructure throughout the state.

It would be recalled that Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State inaugurated the School Governing Boards, (SGBs) in all the 628 Public Secondary Schools in the state. Having realized that no government can shoulder the responsibilities of education alone, the Board which has enjoyed the commitment and cooperation of old students, parents, philanthropists aims at restoring, transforming and repositioning the education sector.

Also, the commissioner further disclosed that Oyo state has been identified as the only state in the Southwest by World Bank to benefit from a grant of $578m which has been set aside for the next five years to tackle issue of out of school children.

Highlighting the efforts of the state government, Olowofela stressed, ” just last week, Oyo state government
awarded a contract of N3.7b for infrastructural development in all the primary schools and has also awarded a month ago a contract to renovate 100 secondary schools up to a tune of N2b. When you see all these developments you will see that the paradigm will change for good”.

Earlier in her welcome address, the school principal who commended the old girls averred that their passion for high standard education coupled with loyalty to their alma mater has produced a better template for teaching and learning in the school in terms of provision of facilities, renovations of the old buildings, introduction of various programmes and initiatives such as scholarship among others.

According to her, “as a major stakeholder in education, your collaborative efforts with other stakeholders – the parents, the community, the church are in line with the laudable programmes and policy of Oyo state government towards raising the standard of education to an enviable position among states in this nation”.