UNTIL few months ago, Ondo State had been unfortunate to be haunted by a specter of dilapidated, weather beaten and ragged public primary and secondary schools which dot the length and breath of the state.

     MANY of them were relics of the Mungo Park era with jagged roof tops, broken walls and scruffy   environment.

INSTANCES abound where some of the schools had become an abode for drug peddlers, gamblers and sundry criminals to peddle their wares.

LIKE a Sherrif in town, the Akeredolu administration is gradually rewriting the trajectory of public institutions which  were once rejected by anxious parents whose confidence is now gradually being restored  to patronise public schools.

IT is heart warming that within 18 months in the saddle, this  administration  has  injected a whopping N7 billion to breathe a new life into public schools through  award of contracts and provision of  facilities.

ALREADY, plans are afoot  to award more contracts as advertisements have been placed in newspapers asking contractors to apply. The huge money being expended by  this administration on the renovation of public schools, is a vote of confidence which Governor Akeredolu himself, a  product of public  institution has deployed in making public primary  and secondary schools centers of excellence in the state.

NO fewer than 523 primary schools  scattered across the three senatorial districts  of the state had been renovated. This  represents about 51 percent of the total schools in Ondo State.

SPEAKING on the renovation of secondary schools, the  Commissioner for   Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Emmanuel Igbasan disclosed that over N7billion had been expended on the project adding that the present administration is committed to the development of education.

HE said the governor granted the access to a substantial part of the money covering  the renovation of secondary schools in the state.

NEEDLESS  to say, where our children get their education  has an  effect on their lives, and this is  very crucial to  give them the best start in life, not only in terms of mental health but also academic improvement.

 THE HOPE believes this is the right time to renovate our secondary schools,  as  a way  out of  the  current infrastructural rot  affecting the  sector.

ADVANCED countries have established parameters towards academic improvement, and Ondo State needs to follow the trend . We cannot  shy away from the need to give secondary school students the very best that the state is capable of  giving.

OUR belief is that unless schools are  renovated, it will be difficult to enhance students’ academic performance, as there is a clear evidence that well-designed primary and secondary schools boost  children’s  academic performance in reading, writing and            performance

ANOTHER philosophy behind the renovation of schools is that improved infrastructure will of course influence parental perceptions and satisfaction,  making them want to invest in the education of their children.

THOUGH some may complain that schools seem to be renovated year-in-year-out by different  administrations,  it  is also becoming clearer by the day that the advantages  overwhelm the money spent on the  projects.

FOR example, schools’ renovation has been found to increase collaboration between students,  and it is said by experts to revolutionalise how schools operate towards improving the lives of everyone who works and studies in them.

ONCE again, we commend the Ondo State Government for setting aside  funds for the renovation of secondary schools in the state. There seems to be a problem  with accessing the funds for secondary schools’ renovation before the governor graciously granted the budgetary provision. Something needs to  be done so as to ensure that the  situation  does not arise in the future.

WE recommend that government pays its matching funds for secondary schools’ renovation promptly in the  future.

ADVANCED countries  have realised that   education  is not just  about buildings. They have put on their  thinking caps and came up with the idea of stocking their schools with computers connected to the internet. That is why their schools are exciting. There is no reason why Ondo State should not follow suit.

ONCE again, we commend the Ondo State Government for its commitment  towards the renovation of schools in the state, as it is a measure to ensure that the State retains its  position as one of the foremost states as far  as education is concerned.