The Seyi Makinde led Oyo state government has announced plans to reintroduce Open-day system in public primary schools across the State.

The government through the Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Adeniran disclosed this during a State-wide interactive session with Head-teachers, recently.

Dr. Adeniran opined that Open-day, when introduced will give parents opportunity to visit their children in schools, where they would get first-hand insights into their children’s performance and speak to their teachers on how to further improve those children.

He added that the state government will also employ more strategies as part of measures to complement its absolute commitment to improve the basic education sector.

Adeniran also averred that the reintroduced system would be an improved adaptation of the moribund open-day, noting that the system would make parents more responsible towards their children in public schools.

“We will reintroduce Open-day system back to our public schools, because we realized that this would complement Governor Seyi Makinde’s free education policy. Parents need to be responsible for their children’s progress in schools”, he said.

He added emphatically that, “One of the things Oyo State Government has done, is to improve the standard of education system”.

While Dr. Adeniran stressed that being a teacher requires patience and great discipline, he urged teachers to ensure their pupils compete favorably with their contemporaries in reading and writing skills.

He said that the State Government is open to suggestions and ideas that would further build capacity of the teaching workforce in Oyo State.
He noted that the present Government is doing so much to improve pupils’ reading culture, by providing Running grants to schools, building facilities among others.

The SUBEB boss revealed that the state government is presently seeking more ways of improving the lot of teachers, especially those in the rural areas, while he stressed that education remains the greatest asset the state government can bequeath its citizens.

The Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recently hosted Zuriel Oduwole, filmmaker and global girl child advocate along with representatives of C&I Leasing Plc (C&I Leasing), a business service conglomerate.

The meeting which took place at the State House in Marina, Lagos, was set up to discuss strategies aimed at improving child education in public schools across the state, with an emphasis on the girl child.

Remarking, Governor Sanwo-Olu lauded Zuriel for her role in championing child education across the African continent and beyond, even as he expressed the state’s readiness to collaborate with the filmmaker and her partners on initiatives that would have deep seated impact in the lives of children in public primary schools.

Quoting statistics, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos represents 0.4% of Nigeria’s territorial landmass with more public primary schools than in Ghana, hence the need for long lasting reforms in the state’s education system.

The governor said the ongoing Excellence in Child Education and Learning project dubbed “EKO EXCEL,” was launched to establish a culture of learning, while bridging the communication gap between teachers and thousands of students across the 1,016 public primary schools in the state.

Responding, Zuriel, brand ambassador of Hertz Nigeria, a franchise car rental company operated by C&I Leasing Plc, spoke on her double-pronged vision of having the government infuse practical, skills-based learning and e-learning courses into public school curriculums in the state.

She expressed confidence that children could at a young age be nurtured to explore their creativity by learning practical skills such as filmmaking, thus setting them up to make a living for themselves in the near future- a cause she informed the governor she was willing to pursue at sub-national level.

Also speaking during the visit, Maureen Ogbonna, Group Head, Research and strategy at C&I Leasing Plc, commended the Lagos state governor for the impactful initiatives put in place to reverse the trend of education inequities state-wide.

Ogbonna further reiterated C&I Leasing’s commitment to continuously support commendable projects aimed at empowering children with quality education, while also exploring youth employability and skills development initiatives in line with the company’s Corporate Responsibility (CSR) framework.

The Ibarapa Polytechnic Students’ Union Government (SUG)  on Wednesday frowned at what it described as an unjust harassment of one of  the institution’s female students identified as Olufunke (Surname withheld) of HND I, Mass Communication Department by Dr Adegbenjo Adewale Oladapo, a lecturer in the department of  mechanical engineering.

Oladapo, who is said to also chairs  the ASUP union of the school, was said to have slapped the female student over an alleged ‘Immoral Dressing. The Students’ Union, however dismissed the lecturer’s claim, describing it as baseless and untrue.

Also, the SUG has given a three-day ultimatum to the lecturer to tender unreserved apology to the assaulted student .

The SUG, in a press statement jointly signed by its  President, Comrade Ashaolu Victor Samuel and  Comrade Abdulrauf Abdulazeez ( Public Relations Officer) on Wednesday in Eruwa and made available to Mega Icon Magazine reads in part, “as a matter of fact, the whole students populace have expressed their annoyance at this development, bringing up complaints of same nature about same Dr Adegbenjo Adewale Oladapo in times past. Consequently, we specifically establish that such action of Dr Adegbenjo is illegal, unjust and unbecoming of man of his cadre.

“Apparently, the leadership of the SUG stands to express our displeasure and dismay on the issue as it is a big slap on our face. We firmly demand Dr Adegbenjo Adewale Oladapo, ASUP Chairman, Lecturer in Mechanical Department to publicly make unreserved apology to the assaulted student of HND 1, Mass Communication Department within 3 days of this message”.

Efforts to speak with the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Olayiwola through his cell phone number – 234 810 353 2776 was unsuccessful as his phone was switched off as at press time.

But, our reporter on Thursday morning learnt that Mr Olayiwola had been replaced by Mr Adisa Oketayo as the new Public Relations Officer of the institution.

Confirming the development through a telephone conversation, Oketayo said the Students protested on Monday at the Acting Rector’s office but he later saw the news on the social media platform yesterday’s evening.

Oketayo, however maintained that he has not been briefed  about the matter.