By Jeleel Olawale
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has disclosed that screening of teachers for recruitment into the state teaching service is ongoing in a bid to improve standard of education.
Speaking at the flag off of distribution of educational materials for students of secondary schools across the state on Wednesday, he said his administration is not relenting at ensuring that he revamped education in the state.
He noted, “Education has been and shall remain one of the priorities of this administration. That was what informed the staging of the Education Summit held in August, 2023 with the theme ‘Getting it Right and Revamping Osun Education.’
“Since the release of the Summit Report as well as the White Paper thereof, our government has started the gradual implementation of the recommendations one after the other.
“Recruitment of teachers into public primary and secondary schools in the State. Screening process is still ongoing and would be completed soon; Implementing to letters the controversial Federal Circular on ‘New Retirement Age for Teachers’ which has been on course and the few that applied for post service re-engagement shall be interviewed soon just as the circular dictates;
“Vacancies created by retirement of school heads across the State have been filled with capable hands leaving no vacuum in school management; fortifying schools security system by engaging Peace Corps of Nigeria, Osun State Command as school policing and neighbourhood watch to schools.
“That was in addition to the existing cadets of Edumarshal. These were targeted at ensuring that students and pupils operate in the peaceful atmosphere that learning demands.”
Earlier in his address, the Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole disclosed that the state schools infrastructure development programme is ongoing with a view to expanding access to children across the state.
“Osun state was chosen as a pilot state for school feeding in Nigeria, it is the only state in Nigeria that continues feeding pupils now without the Federal government intervention.
“This is evident in the visit of the Senior Special Assistant to Mr. President on Home Grown School Feeding, Osun is also one of the pilot states for the establishment of Alternative School for Girls,” he added.