Primary Education Vital, Says Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged his colleagues to be committed to implementation of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) programmes.
He said this would improve the quality of primary education and give children access to basic education.
Aregbesola was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, at the 11th quarterly meeting of the UBEC management with chairmen of the State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) in Osogbo.
He urged governors to embrace UBEC’s Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme, which has been rebranded as O-Meals in Osun.
Aregbesola said the programme improved enrolment in primary schools from 155,318 in May, 2012, to over 380,000 this year.
He urged the Federal Government to assist states through UBEC by increasing funds for the meal from N98 million, saying it costs his administration N3.6 billion annually.
Aregbesola, in his speech, titled: “Assuring and sustaining quality basic education delivery in Nigeria”, said UBEC programmes should be reviewed and implemented religiously.
He said basic education should not be handled with levity, going by its role as the first exposure children get.
Suggesting ways to improve primary education, Aregbesola called for the recruitment of professional teachers.
Minister of Education Ezenwo Nyesom Wike urged SUBEB to work with UBEC to improve education.
He urged governors to pay their counterpart funds and use funds provided by UBEC for primary school development.
UBEC Executive Secretary Dr. Dikko Suleiman said the meeting would enable UBEC to improve primary education.
SUBEB Executive Chairman in Osun State Prince Felix Awofisayo listed some gains of the administration in Education as the recruitment of teachers, increase and prompt payment of running grants, prompt payment of teachers’ salary and building of fully equipped schools.
THE NATION