Oyo returns 60,000 pupils, doubles teachers in schools

The Executive Chairman of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Nureni Adeniran, has lauded the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration’s effort in reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.

According to him, about 60,000 out-of-school children have been returned to the classrooms.

Also, the state Chairperson of Post Primary Schools’ Teaching Service Commission, Mrs Olubukola Oladipo, said the staff strength in the secondary schools rose from 13,730 in 2019 to 26,436 after six years in office of the governor.

The duo stated this on Wednesday, while featuring on the Omituntun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing held at the Governor’s Office Briefing Room, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

Dr Adeniran revealed that the board had also received approval to execute projects in public basic schools across the 33 local government areas of the state, including construction of 41 blocks of classrooms, seven perimeter fences, 30 boreholes, procurement of 5,828 pupils’ desks and benches, 473 teachers’ tables and chairs, 910 sports equipment as well as the renovation of 60 blocks of classrooms.

He said the policies of the administration in the basic education sector, covering primary and junior secondary schools, had greatly helped to reduce infrastructure deficit and improved the quality of education in the state.

The administration, Adeniran maintained, had been able to improve the quality of education through the massive training of teaching and non-teaching staff members, the recruitment of thousands of teachers, the construction/renovation of classrooms and the procurement of school furniture, among others.

He added that quality improvement resulted in increased school enrolment, with thousands of parents even withdrawing their wards from private schools to enrol them in public schools in the state.

“About 60,000 out-of-school children have been returned to the classrooms.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that the vision of the Governor Seyi Makinde administration on the basic education sub-sector to have a very negligible number of out-of-school children in the state, is gaining momentum on a daily basis,” he said.

Adeniran has disclosed that the board would soon embark on massive construction and renovation of classrooms across the 33 Local Government Areas of the state.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, noted that the government recruited 10,500 teaching and non-teaching staff in the second term of Makinde.

Oladipo said the commission had also succeeded in creating additional educational zones for ease of school administration.

She said, “Four educational zones were created by His Excellency for ease of school administration, now adding up to 10 educational zones; we have Ibadan Zone I, II, III, IV, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Kishi, Saki, Eruwa and Iseyin Educational Zones.

We also created the Directorate of Pension and Post Services for effective and efficient service delivery for the TESCOM Retirees.

“We appointed 10 Tutors-General/Permanent Secretaries and a Permanent Secretary at the headquarters for effective and efficient service delivery in areas of monitoring and supervision of teachers and students.”

The TESCOM chairperson added that the commission was also able to conduct the 2017 to 2024 promotion exercises for eligible officers.

“In 2024 and early 2025, the recruitment of 7,500 teaching and 3,000 non-teaching staff for the improvement in students’ academic performance, both in internal and external examinations, took place.

“That allowed the employment of youths, and this will have the multiplier effects of increasing the standard of living of the employed teaching and non-teaching staff.

“As of 2019 when the governor came on board, the total staff strength was 13,730, and it is encouraging to state that the staff strength has increased to 26,436.

“The government has continued to pay running grants to the 695 public secondary schools to ease school administration for school principals,” she added.