Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has partnered Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to digitalise the educational system in the state.
While disclosing this on Tuesday January 19, 2021, the governor stated that his administration is committed to providing quality education service in the state.
He added that the partnership will provide quality education that will enhance teaching and learning in the state.
The governor stated this while receiving a delegation of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the Universal Basic Education Commission led by the KOICA Country Director, Mr. Woochan Chang, at the Courtesy Room of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.
Makinde said the KOICA delegation was in Ibadan to inspect on-going construction works on a Smart (Model) School Project being constructed by UBEC in Sogunro Village, along Moniya-Oyo Road, Akinyele Local Government Area.
He explained that as part of his administration’s determination to improve the standard of education in the state, his government has budgeted 21 to 22 per cent for education in the 2021 budget.
The governor said, “We have 21 to 22 per cent for education in our budget and it is unprecedented.”
He added, “I personally take special interest in the smart school project. I went to the project site and we will ensure that the quality meets international standards. I am glad that you are looking at interventions in ICT because e-governance is something we have also been looking at.
“With the pandemic, the challenges for us to take knowledge to our students became really compounded. So, what we have done in Oyo State, even at this secretariat, is to move towards e-governance. We have laid fiber-optic cables all around.
“We have bought computers and we are in the process of ensuring that our processes are moved towards e-governance where we are not going to be carrying files all over the place.
“We are doing the same thing at the primary and secondary school levels. We will prepare people for e-governance. The importance of moving everybody – both the students and teachers – to have appreciation of ICT became really hectic.
“You have our commitment as we have the SSG and Chairman of SUBEB to take you to our ICT Centre here. Before we came in, it was just a dream in the pipeline but we are now executing.”
The governor, who maintained that the on-going construction work on the Smart (Model) School project in Ibadan will be ready for commissioning in the next 8-10 weeks, said his administration has always put its money where its mouth is.
“In terms of putting our mouth where our money is, the budget performance for last year, close to 60 per cent is a clear departure from the past where budget performance was always around 35 or 36 per cent.
“I believe that this particular model school will start soon and we will be monitoring them. Like the Chairman of SUBEB said, hopefully in the next 8-10 weeks, we should have the project ready for your intervention.
“This is me having the responsibility to ensure that our programmes for the improvement of education in the state are executed. I am here with you this morning, which is to demonstrate enough commitment at the highest level in paying attention to one of the major pillars for us.
“Again, for me personally, I am not an elite as I did not come from the Upper Class. I came from the lower-middle class and the only thing that brought me to the table was the fact that I got educated.
“So, you can rest assured that if you need to see me, it will be arranged quickly and we will do everything within our power as a government to ensure our students get the best in terms of education,” the governor said.
