The Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has expressed concern over the increasing number of children out of school, describing the situation as alarming.
According to Mr. Victor Olabimtan, Chairman of Ondo SUBEB, approximately 240,000 children are out of school in the state. He highlighted the gravity of the issue, stating, "From the statistics, Ondo has 240,000 out-of-school children. This is alarming."
Olabimtan emphasized that addressing this challenge is a priority for the state government. He stated, "But it is not happening only in Ondo State, that is how the problem is in other states of the federation."
The chairman outlined measures taken by the government to improve access to education. These include plans to recruit more teachers for primary schools and enhance the learning environment to attract pupils. Notably, over 900 public primary schools have undergone complete renovation to provide conducive learning environments.
In collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Ondo SUBEB has implemented training programs to improve attendance management in schools. Olabimtan highlighted the success of these initiatives, including the provision of digital devices for attendance tracking in classrooms.
Additionally, Olabimtan credited the state government's investment in education infrastructure and resources. With counterpart funding of N3.9 billion and support from UBEC, the board has renovated classrooms, provided educational materials, and upgraded facilities in schools across the state.
He said, "With the fund, the board has been able to construct, reconstruct and Rehabilitate over 900 classrooms, fences, boreholes, toilets, provided learners chairs and desks, tables for their teachers, ECCD equipment, sporting equipment as well as Instructional materials for pupils and their teachers valued at over N2.2billion to make our schools more attractive for both teaching and learning."
Olabimtan highlighted the positive impact of these investments, noting improvements in teachers' and pupils' performance in internal and external examinations. He cited the success of Ondo students in a National JET Competition as evidence of progress.
Despite these efforts, the challenges of out-of-school children persist nationwide.
