By Bukola Olamona
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Parents in Ondo State have been assured that the 2018/2019 session will be better than previous sessions as those things lacking will be fixed to bring about rapid development in the education sector.

Making this known was the State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Femi Agagu during the monitoring of resumption into the new session in Akure the state capital.

While monitoring  Public secondary schools in Akure metropolis, Agagu who was represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Rev Akin Asaniyan stated that development has begun and will continue as required by schools across the state within the available resources.

The commissioner who was impressed with the massive turn out of students and teachers in public schools across the state said that the synergy between the ministry and the school principals are yielding positive  results.

 Speaking on the dilapidated structures in some schools in the state, he said the  present government is unaware of the challenges of dilapidated infrastructures which he described as a result of the lapses from the past, and promised  that all will be fixed soon.

Agagu opined  that the state government will soon re launch Education Endowment Fund which will be ploughed back to keep the schools better.

He also stated that the state government has been collaborating with Old Students Associations which has been  rehabilitating  some structures in schools across the state. The commissioner also disclosed that in October, the Government will be creating a forum where the governor  will appreciate those who have supported the sector, especially public schools.

In another development, the Chairman of Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board, Princess Oladunni Odu has called for dedication among teachers in the state as the schools resumed for the 2018/2019 academic session.          The chairman said this during a monitoring of some primary schools in the Central Senatorial District of the state.

Commenting on the training of teachers, Princess Odu, said the government usually put in place Teachers Professional Development (TPD) in order to keep the teachers abreast of the new methods of teaching  primary school pupils.

She reiterated that about 1800  teachers have been trained under the recent Teachers Professional Development (TPD) out of 8000 teachers in the state and the second phase of the training is still in the pipeline.

She explained that the government of Arakunrin Akeredolu, SAN, has been magnanimous to basic  education in Ondo state, saying  about 228 schools are presently undergoing different  construction and renovation in order to give basic education a boost.

 She remarked that the government cannot fund primary education  alone because it is capital intensive and called on stakeholders  in the education sector to support the government in taking primary education to greater height in the State.

Corroborating the chairman on training and development of teachers, the Director of School Services of SUBEB, Mr Clement Adesuyi  said that the board is working with the Education Secretaries  in all the I8 local government areas to ensure  that teachers in the primary schools follow the benchmark curriculum which is mainly on literacy and numeracy  in order to impact knowledge to the pupils and know their performances  viz a viz the teachers.

Adesuyi informed that the monitoring activity is simultaneously going on in the three senatorial districts of the state as officers of SUBEB are touring the length and breath of the state to ensure that pupils resume for the new session and teachers are available.

Schools visited were St David Primary School, Ibule, Methodist Primary School, Gbogi, Fanibi community Primary School, Fanibi, Akure, and Elemuletu Primary School, Ijoka.