*Explains why he remains resolute on revamping education
Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said the need to make the state emerge a major player within the new knowledge economy and digital world informs his administration’s dogged battle to revamp education.
Governor Aregbesola stated this following his declaration as the 2016 Governor of Year Award in Education, presented by the African Education Monitor (AEM).
The management of the AEM said it arrived at the decision to honour the governor given his tremendous works on the sector.
Presenting the award, the Publisher, African Education Monitor Magazine, Mr. Oludaisi Adetarami, commended Governor Aregbesola for guiding the state towards educational prosperity.
He said the state had distinguished itself among its peers in education sector, thus, making Osun the model and pacesetter for national and international education system.
Adetarami, who described Osun education policy as one of the best in the world, said the impacts of the state in building solid foundation in education sector had been yielding positive results.
He said the huge investment made in education by Osun government was part of reasons for the state to be ranked among the best four states in Nigeria on female child education.
According to him, it was a known fact that the education policy of Osun was designed basically to advance humanity and build minds that would not only be productive to themselves but meaningful and impactful to the society at large.
He said, “As this has been the hallmarks of the present administration not only in education but in other sectors that is why we identified ourselves with the state so as to further enhance quality and functional education in line with international best practices.
“We painstakingly studied and analysed the Osun education policy and we found out that the policy adopted by the state is not only in conformity with international best standards but a sine qua non to achieve a sustainable education system.
“As we all know that today, Osun is being ranked among the best four states in Nigeria on female child education, these among others are the outward manifestation of Governor Aregbesola’s contributions to education.
“The successes recorded in education in Osun had showcased the untiring interests of the state towards the provision of educational infrastructure developments which the state viewed as basis for all round transformation, growth and development.
“It is for this noble reason that our organisation felt to celebrate the state and Mr. Governor on this investiture ceremony as a sign of appreciation towards making education the bedrock of development.
“Our organisation’s project has cardinal relations to education system in Africa that is why we do everything to partner with a state like Osun on education development.
“We want to liaise with the state to complement the government’s efforts in repositioning the education sector in the state”, Adetarami stated.
In his remarks, Aregbesola described education as an opportunity for happiness and fulfillment of life deserving ultimate priority.
Describing education as a process of integrating human being into the society, the governor said all hands must be on deck to promote education in Africa.
He added, “Education is the tool required by individual to live a purposeful, productive beneficial and rewarding life through wish life is productively navigated to the benefit of self, society and world at large.
“We must therefore put in our best as governments, individuals, stakeholders and agencies to revamp the education sector by seeing it as the only mechanism to development”.
He promised to continuously earmarking larger chunk of the state’s resources on education, saying, “it is only educated society that would meet the needs of the present digital world”.
