Thousands of Students today commenced learning at the Ataoja Government High School in Osogbo, Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, Osogbo Government High School and Adventist Government High School in Ede, each of them with the capacity to accommodate 3,000 students.
Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola while speaking at the opening ceremony of the Ataoja High School, Osogbo noted that the schools were designed to be able to attract the best brains from their catchment areas, especially draw intake from public schools, where excellence is also the watchword.
Aregbesola noted that his administration has redefined the architecture and environment of quality education, saying that the schools he built would compete with any school from any part of the world.
According to him, "Each school has four principals with three superintending over 1,000 pupils each, and an overall senior principal.
It is standard that each school has 72 classrooms of 49 square-meters, each capable of sitting 49 students.
"It has six offices for study groups. It is also equipped with six laboratories, 48 toilets for pupils and another eight for the teachers, one science library, one Arts library, facility manager's office, a bookshop and a sickbay.
"Other facilities are the senior principal's office, three principals' offices, a bursar's office, three general staff offices, a record store and security shed/reception. They are all fully furnished. The schools each has its own borehole and power transformer.”
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who was represented by Prof. Kamoru Olayiwola Usman commended Aregbesola for improving the atmosphere of learning in schools constructed in the state.
The Minister said the federal government and the Federal Ministry of Education are proud of Aregbesola's efforts in education sector, saying education should not be limited to a situation when a person can only read and write, but how such person can impact positively on the larger society.
He held that Osun in no distant future will enjoy the seed that has been sown by the present administration with the building of the state-of-the-art schools constructed across the state.
According to him, "If we want to forestall what happened in Ife, we must continue to educate our people by making sure that we build more schools with an atmosphere that is conducive to learning.”
Speaking earlier, the Deputy Governor, Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori stated that the motive of Osun Government is to make the new High Schools centre of excellence that will produce students that are excellent in academic performance and will be grounded in the Omoluabi ethos.
She also added that in line with Aregbesola's desire to have the best teachers in the state High schools, the Governor has approved 20 per cent salary increment, and dressing allowance for all the teachers and principals in the new high schools.
The Deputy Governor further stressed that the new schools principals will also be entitled to official cars, iPads among other things.
According to her, "These intensive interventions in the education sector constitute huge capital expenditure to which Mr. Governor is fully committed come rain or shine, economic recession or depression notwithstanding.
"Mr. Governor considers no amount of money too much to invest in the lives and future of our children in Osun,” she noted.
The Head Girl of the Ataoja Government High School, Eegunranti Victoria, described Aregbesola as "the Awolowo of our time" and a governor who has made the impossible to be possible."
DailyTrust
