The Governor of Ondo State, Honourable Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has approved the establishment of the Ondo State Senior Secondary School Education Board (OSSEC), a move aimed at significantly boosting infrastructural development and management in the state’s secondary schools.
The approval for the establishment of OSSEC is a direct response to the Federal Government’s directive in the gazetted NSSEC Act requiring states to provide a five percent counterpart fund to support infrastructural development across secondary schools in the 36 states of the federation.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, announced the approval in his office, stating that the new board would effectively address the existing infrastructural deficit in senior secondary schools in collaboration with the National Senior Secondary School Education Commission (NSSEC).
He said: “With this approval, Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration has fully aligned with the Federal Government’s resolve to upgrade infrastructure in our secondary schools.”
Speaking on the benefits and scope of OSSEC, Administrative Secretary of the Ministry who was also a member of the establishment committee, Dr. Akindele Ige, explained that OSSEC would lead to improved funding for school management and essential infrastructural development, which is anticipated to boost student enrollment across the state.
The scope of the new board is distinct as the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) will continue to manage facilities and infrastructure from primary schools up to Junior Secondary School Three (JSS3), while OSSEC will specifically take responsibility for the Senior Secondary Schools (SSS1 to SSS3).
When operational, OSSEC will function as an agency under the State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and will ensure its programmes do not interfere with other educational bodies in the state.