Ondo Govt. bemoans poor enrolment in public primary schools

The Ondo State Government has expressed ill-feeling towards poor enrolment of children into the public primary schools in the state, tasking school’s administrators to employ marketing strategies as means of increasing pupil's enrolment in the new academic session.

The Chairman, Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Rt. Hon. Victor Olabimtan, made the feeling known  after  assessment of school's resumption in some public primary schools  across the state.

Olabimtan, who was not too impressed  with the turnout of pupils within the few days of resumption in most visited for the new session, charged head teachers, their assistants and teachers  alike to go out and embark on constant enrolment drive in their neighborhoods like their counterparts in private schools. 

According to him, there is no reason for any public primary school  to be dwindling in terms of pupil enrolment while that of private schools are on the increase considering the enormous investment in the development of the basic education  by the Federal and the state government. 

Olabimtan said that some of the factors responsible for low patronages in the public schools  in the state were not far fetched. 

According to him these include but not limited to non dedication to duties on the part of teachers.This need to be curbed by aggressive supervision on the part of Officers at Headquarters and Local Government Education Authorities. 

The Chairman who took time to go through the statutory records such as Register, Log Books and Time Books in each of the School visited lectured the Head Teachers and Teachers on the importance of school records, regularity, punctuality and clean environment for effective teaching and learning urged them to embark on marketing strategies to attract more pupils to thier schools. 

According to the former School Principal and top flight School administrator turned politician, government's investments in Public Schools can only be seen through drastic reduction in the number of Out of School Children's and increase in School enrollment into Public Primary Schools which are tuition free and better equiped in terms of qualified teachers and good facilities.

He said that in the last six years, the State Government under Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeeredolu, SAN, CON had expended over N22 billion in the renovations, reconstructions and constructions of not less than 900 School buildings, fencing, provisions of bole holes, chairs and lockers, Computer Laboratories and distributions of free instructional materials to Pupils to mention but a few.

The former Speaker Ondo House of Assembly said that with these improved facilities coupled with the provisions of play groups, ECCED facilities and Sporting Equipment put in place by the Government in all the Public Primary Schools across the State, there is no reason parents and guardians should not enrolled their wards in Public Schools that are tuition free.

It is instructive to note that, weeks before the start of the new session, the Chairman held a strategic meeting with the Management Staff of the Board , Education Secretaries from all the eighteen Local Government Areas of the State and the Education Officers on how improve performance through daily monitoring and supervision of Schools in the new session. 

To achieve this goal, the Chairman set up three (3) Teams, each led by himself, Full Time-1, Princess Funmilayo Ademulegun and Full Time Member -2, Hon Saka Yusuf Ogunleye respectively to ascertain the preparedness of teachers and learners towards new academic session.

Each of the Monitoring Team which covered six Local Government Areas each was assisted by the Permanent Secretary, Dele Akinnagbe, Director Quality Assurance, Adesoji Okedusi and other Directors of Education

Meanwhile as part of deliberate efforts to firm up plans towards improve performance of pupils in the new session, the Board has concluded plans to hold meetings with all Head Teachers and their Assistants of Public Primary Schools in the State before the ends of the month.

In order cascade the essence of the interactions to the grassroots, the Board has divided the State into three zones and the meeting will be held at a designated venue in each of the three Senatorial Districts of the State to be announced later. 

He enjoined the Education Secretaries who he described as the Chief Executive of their LGEAs to be on top of their games in order to ensure that the essence of their appointments as the Ambassadors of the Board at the various Local Government Areas is not defeated.