The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ekiti state, Mr Idowu Adelusi has disclosed that the World Bank has supported 120 public primary and secondary schools in the state with teaching materials running into millions of naira.
Adelusi said that the items were handed over to Gov. Ayo Fayose at the Government House for onward distribution to the selected schools.
He quoted Fayose as expressing gratitude to the World Bank, saying his administration would complement the bank’s effort by supplying the remaining schools with the items. He said that this was to ensure that no school was left out in the exercise.
The spokesman further quoted the governor as saying select government-approved private schools would also be considered in the exercise.
“The new policy is to enable parents to go and assess the performance of their children and wards in schools from time to time. They don’t have to wait until the term runs out when the children will bring their academic results home. The level we have attained in the education sector must be improved upon.
“We can’t afford to drop our guards, if we came first in NECO examinations this year, it must not be once in a while achievement, we must maintain our enviable position.
“I am not in support of fire brigade approach to policies as that won’t help us as a state. We must plan ahead and take necessary steps to consolidate our feat in the area of education
“For teachers, we can’t jettison them, as doing so is ignoring the future of our children. We will continue to encourage them and I appeal to our parents to show understanding too. Teachers are human and they have personal challenges and must be encouraged for them to pay attention to our children.
“The instructional materials won’t go on their own and stick themselves to students’ brains, it is the teachers that will use them to teach our wards and children,” he quoted the governor as saying.
The World Bank instructional materials, included chalk, mathematical sets, books and compendium of past questions on subjects, among several others.