Challenges of Public Education Funding

Seyi Makinde/

I have often said that government alone cannot fund education. I have always believed this. I have spoken fondly about my time at Bishop Philips Academy. And how, I returned to the school as an old student to renovate my former classroom block and later, build and equip an ICT laboratory.

Now, as the Governor of Oyo State, I have an opportunity to impact not only my old school but the entire education system in Oyo State.

We all know that education in Oyo State has experienced many systemic failures. As an administration, we are focused on dealing with these failures by re-engineering processes. The thing is, re-engineering processes takes longer than patching it up.

Politicians like the patching up because it looks good for the cameras. Also, the people want to see things happening. It is definitely good to see things happening. But it is better to re-engineer the process while doing things that people can see.

We have created an enabling environment so that people are now, as one newspaper headline puts it, “jostling to transfer into Oyo State public schools.” As at the last count, we have received over 3,000 transfer applications into Oyo State public schools.

The influx of students into public schools as a result of the cancellation of fees and ongoing improvement of learning facilities in state-owned schools has two major effects, which we have pre-empted:

First, there is an increased pressure on facilities. The good thing is, we can access UBEC funds because our administration has made it a priority to always provide the counterpart funding as required by law. So this helps to ease the burden of building.

The second effect of the ongoing transfers from private to public schools is that the shortage of teachers is even more evident. Challenges on the issue of PTA teachers and our no levies policy are currently being resolved.

We encourage you to use the communication channels provided by the @oysg_edu and @oyostategovt to give feedback on the progress of the work in your communities. Whatever is not going as scheduled, please report to us. We are a listening govt and will always respond to your feedback.

*Excerpts from the speech delivered by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State at the inauguration of a multi-purpose hall at Ilora Baptist Grammar School, Ilora, donated by an old student, Mr Remi Oyekola.

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