Ekiti disburses N1.2bn in school grants, spends over N17bn on infrastructure upgrades
...Commits N1.2bn to schools for 2024/2025
...Renovates 1,135 classrooms, equips 105 science labs
...Pays N6.15bn UBEC counterpart fund
The Ekiti State Government has disbursed N1.2 billion as running grants to public primary and secondary schools, technical colleges, and three special schools for the 2024/2025 academic session.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information, Chief Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement issued on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti.
According to the commissioner, the state government also committed N11,306,760,012.54 towards the renovation and construction of facilities in 203 public secondary schools under the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project.
Additionally, he revealed that the government had paid N6,154,879,897.36 as counterpart funding to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 project years, benefiting 927 public primary schools.
He noted that N174,032,505.00 was allocated for instructional materials in primary schools, while N16,388,047.77 was spent on the procurement of continuous assessment documents for secondary schools.
A breakdown of the running grants shows that N214,479,000.00 was released to 203 public secondary schools in 2022/2023, N235,157,400.00 in 2023/2024, and N602,356,500.00 for the 2024/2025 academic year.
Primary schools received N101,419,200.00 in 2022/2023, N109,854,900.00 in 2023/2024, and N381,258,000.00 in 2024/2025.
Technical colleges were allocated N6,774,300.00 in 2022/2023, N5,981,400.00 in 2023/2024, and N10,737,000.00 in 2024/2025.
The state’s three government-run special schools received a combined N15,407,000.00 monthly to cover feeding and maintenance.
Olatunbosun detailed that 1,135 classrooms had been renovated and 83 new ones constructed across public secondary schools. Furthermore, the government built 419 new toilets, rehabilitated 277 existing ones, drilled 32 boreholes, and restored eight more to enhance access to water.
He added that 18 libraries, 105 science laboratories, and 67 multipurpose halls had been refurbished, furnished, and equipped for use.
Perimeter fencing was installed in 46 schools, and 2,978 units of furniture and learning materials were distributed.
The commissioner appealed to stakeholders across the state to support the government’s educational programmes and safeguard public school infrastructure. He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to providing free, inclusive, and compulsory education for all school-age children in Ekiti.
He cautioned school heads against corrupt practices and the misrepresentation of facts to attract donations under false pretences.
According to Olatunbosun, protecting public assets such as schools ensures a secure learning environment and sustainable development within communities. He warned that those found sabotaging government efforts or misusing school grants would face legal sanctions.
He called on local communities, school authorities, and education stakeholders to take an active role in preserving public infrastructure and advancing educational progress across the state.