As the primary of the APC draws near in Ondo State, a frontline aspirant in the party, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, has continued his engagements with select critical stakeholders in the State, as he interfaced with some noble practioners in the education sector recently in Akure.
The engagement was part of his push to fly the flag of the APC in the gubernatorial election coming up in November 2024.
At the event, Oke assured the stakeholders of his resolve to revamp education in the State and make it practical-driven, with the focus of moving education beyond theory to the compulsory and desired level of application.
To this end, Oke opined that “education shall be made applied to solve societal problems. We have been fixated on mere theories for too long, and we must reposition our education, not to merely excite or entertain us, but solve human problems”.
“Right from primary school, skill-based approaches shall be explored to motivate the students’ awareness and establish the foundation for higher interactions with practical skills and technology-focused learning”.
To this end, Oke said the four higher institutions in the State will be given specific mandates not only to justify their existence, but set the template for solving human socio-cultural, politico-economic as well as scientific-technological challenges in the 21st century.
“To achieve our agenda for the education sector, we shall meet all our counterpart funding obligations timeously, facilitate collaborations between our universities and others nationally/globally, and as well build consciously on the supports of old students’ associations to make cost sharing sustainable with critical stakeholders”.
Oke also stressed the need to make school curriculum at the different levels robust and effective, as no state or nation can develop above its commitment to education.
“As part of making education attractive, we shall ensure an improved and secured learning environment, recruit well-motivated relevant teachers, support students with bursary, scholarship and grants, with the help of the private sector sought to realise our noble ideas”.
As part of the interactive engagement, Oke informed the stakeholders that he would use the alternative power initiative (solar project) of his administration to provide electricity in primary and secondary schools, with the higher institutions encouraged to go into partnership on power generation, that will improve learning, research and community service in their various locations.
The technical and vocational departments in the higher institutions, according to the confident aspirant, shall be leveraged to stimulate the technical and vocational colleges in the State, with a percolating effect on secondary and primary education.
“The Education Tax started of the State government shall be deliberately pursued to shore up funds available to education in the State. We shall ensure that the funds that accrue from this Tax are used judiciously”.
“It is noteworthy that services of appropriate departments and faculties of engineering, agriculture, and others in our higher institutions will be sought to profer solutions to problems in certain areas, and provide consultancy services to the State and the private sector in and around Ondo State”.
Oke similarly talked about how he would use the education sector, at all levels, to drive his back-to-farm initiative, wherein schools shall be required to use available arable land to grow good and cash crops.
The interactions ended with questions and answers session, that provided the stakeholders the opportunity to make more contributions to enrich the plans layed out by Oke, which received very high commendation, with the optimism of an improved education sector, if Oke is eventually elected governor, and the programmes implemented.
