Dr. Kayode Fayemi has no doubt made remarkable reforms in the educational system in Ekiti State. At both the Primary and Secondary school levels, the reform has started yielding results as parents and guardians are now withdrawing their children and wards from private schools back to the public schools.
Part of that reforms was the renovations of about 820 primary and secondary schools across the state. In addition to this, the Fayemi led Government has also established four (4) new well equipped model secondary schools to accommodate the yearnings of Ekiti people, particularly the people of Ado Ekiti, for more secondary schools to take care of the growing population of secondary school students.
In all of these, the Fayemi administration consider as very important the need to recruit additional teachers to fill the existing vacancies particularly in core subjects areas. As a result of this, over three thousand teachers have been examined for employment by the Ekiti Teaching Service Commission out of which the governor has given approval for the immediate employment of about 1,200 teachers in core subjects areas, namely: Mathematics, English Language, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture Science and Economics, while the employment of Teachers in other subject areas will follow as soon as possible.
The Fayemi administration is also working on building a world class Knowledge Zone to harness our potential in knowledge economy. Ekiti State is known as the Fountain of Knowledge. There is no doubt also that our people love, seek and celebrate knowledge. Ekiti arguably have the highest numbers of professors and academic pioneers per capital in Nigeria. We also have many of our citizens who are leading lights in every field of human endeavor as well as those who are at the frontiers of research on the academia and scholastic practice all over the world.
It is therefore a logical choice to turn knowledge as a primary product in which we can trade successfully. To survive and strive in today’s global economy, the Ekiti State Governor is therefore committed to using our brilliant minds to promote sustainable development by paying attentions to fields such as; Teaching, Research, Skills Development, Creative Arts, Strengthening Tertiary Institutions and Educational Entrepreneurship.
In his own way of building a new foundation for the Ekiti Primary educational system, the Executive Chairman, Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board(SUBEB) Prof. Akinwumi Femi is taking proactive steps to ensure that formidable primary education is built across the state. The chairman for the first time in the history of the board was seen teaching and engaging pupils in some schools. He has promised doing this from time to time as part of the reforms in the state educational sector.
The Chairman has also solicited for good relationship between teachers and pupils stating that teachers should treat pupils like their own children. At St. Micheal Nur/Pry school, also in Iyin-Ekiti, Prof Femi Akinwumi directed that chairs and desks of pupils in the second class at Nursery section be replaced to the modern type in order to make the classrooms more attractive. He disclosed that the board recently procured over 10,000 units of pupils furniture as part of efforts at providing a condusive teaching and learning environment in public schools in the state.
Governor Kayode Fayemi has also initiated a sustainable rewards system for the best performing teaching staff. Also, teachers in core subject areas will also be rewarded with special allowances to motivate them for their additional inputs.
All these will no doubt help in reforming our educational system in line with the agenda of the Kayode Fayemi’s administration.
Alhaji Dauda Lawal is a Development Agent, he writes from Ado Ekiti.