Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq , on Thursday, flagged off the distribution of 120,000 customised exercise books, 1,600 cartons of white chalks and 90 android tablets for basic schools in the state.
Other items distributed for the basic schools at an event that took place at Burhanudeen primary school, Ojagboro, Ilorin are rulers, pencils, textbooks and some instructional materials.
Speaking at the event, AbdulRazaq said the programme was another bold testimonial of how far his administration had gone in reshaping the future of the state.
The governor who was represented by his special adviser on Strategy, Alh Saadu Salahu added: “History will remember how our administration took basic education from total collapse to a new height where Kwara now ranks among the best in the country today.
“Our interventions have been in phases and strategic. We began with restoring our relationship with UBEC. We have injected billions of naira to improve the learning environment across the state, and this is visible to the blind. We hired very competent teachers to man the classrooms. We introduced technology to empower these teachers and bring them up to speed in 21st-century teaching techniques through the KwaraLEARN initiative.
“We pay teachers their salaries in full, and we are steadily clearing the arrears we inherited. We have zero tolerance for examination malpractices. We have also introduced various incentives to encourage excellence across various levels. On top of these is the distribution of books, computers, and other educational materials to our basic schools.
“The results have been impressive — but we can do better together. School enrollment has improved by 45% across the state. Today, Kwara now has the fifth lowest out-of-school children in the country, according to the NBS data. We have also recorded appreciable improvements in literacy and numeracy skills among Kwara schoolchildren. This is due to our commitments to inclusive growth through human capital development.”
Earlier, the chairman of the State Basic Education Board( SUBEB), Prof Shehu Adaramaja, had disclosed that the governor’s intervention on basic education has culminated in Kwara now occupying number five position on the list of SUBEB States assessment table.
” Before the inauguration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration in 2019, Kwara SUBEB was occupying the 37th position, even the FCT was better than us then,” Adaramaja stated.
He added:” His Excellency’s renewed renewed relationship with UBEC has also attracted 3 out of 30 FG/ UBEC Bilingual Education Schools for the state. Construction works are ongoing in Share ( Ifelodun LGA), Ballah ( Asa LGA) and Bani ( Kaiama LGA). Let me also add that our governor’s good interpersonal relationship has also earned the state one of the best UBEC Smart Model School in the country. This school is located in Adeta, Ilorin West LGA and will commence academic activities by April, 2023.”
” Today’s Flagg off ceremony for the distribution of instructional materials across the 16 LGAs is the fourth in the history of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration in continuation of his efforts at repositioning the basic education and create conducive learning environment for our pupils/ students”.
Adaramaja thanked the governor for the regular and prompt payment of teachers’ salaries, implementation of the new consequential adjustment for all the teaching and non- teaching staff of SUBEB and the implementation of years 2017,2018,2019 and 2020 teachers promotion.