We’ll take education to next level, ODHA assures

By Josephine Oguntoyinbo
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Ondo state House of Assembly has declared its readiness to perform its responsibilities effectively towards ensuring that the education sector in the state moves to the next level.

The Chairman, House Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Mr Toluwani Borokini gave the assurance in an interview with The Hope shortly after the commitee’s familiarisation visit to the State Board for Adult, Technical and Vocational Education, State Library Board, and State Information Technology Agency (SITA) in Akure, the state capital.

The Chairman maintained that the committee is committed to ensuring that proper oversight is done, budget performance are reviewed challenges of MDA’s are looked into and their achievements properly accessed to ensure that resources are properly managed.

Borokini who observed that there has been a lot of motivation in the working environment of places visited added that the management teams they met have shown their readiness to drive the machinaries of the state forward.

“We were at Adult Education Board, they are willing to impact lives and contribute their quotas, we have advised them to digitalise and publicise their activities.

“We have been to the State library board where there is a facelift in the structures and facilities of the place, they confessed to us that since Akeredolu came into power, has been giving them necessary attention to ensure  that the entire sector works well.

“Also at SITA, we have seen their readiness, going by the enabling environment being created. This Agency has a lot to offer the society as out of the thirty six states of the federation, only about three in which the state is one have been giving proper place to an agency to run technology at the state level ‘,he stated.

He however advised them not to relent in their  efforts at  moving the state to an enviable height saying that their challenges will be addressed.

During the familiarisation visit to the the board for adult education, the Majority Leader of the house , Mr Jamiu Maito advised the management of the board to take proper ownership of the innovation that  comes out of the board and do necessary registration to make it acceptable in the market.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Board, Dr Mrs Aarinola Akinsete who briefed the lawmakers on the activities of the board noted that their products have been participating in local, national and international competitions and have won many laurels  for  the state .

While appreciating the present government for its support for all the programmes , she however said that inadequate funding, inadequate office accommodation ,furnitures in offices and obsolete machines, equipments and tools in schools and centres are the challenges of the board.

Also speaking, a member representing Ondo west constituency II, Mr Adewale Williams posited that the primary aim of establishing  libraries is for people to have access to reference books for the development of knowledge, hence the need to have state of the art ICT equipment in the library as the present trend is E-library.

Another member, Elegbeleye Rasheed canvassed for proper maintenance of libraries built by philanthropists by the local governments authorities in which they are located to serve as encouragement to others who may have interest  in building  more.

The state Director Library Service ,Mr Bode Arawande who had earlier informed the lawmakers about the activities and challenges of the board affirmed  that the renovation work at the library board  has  got to almost 85 percent which has increased the number of people coming to the library.