The governor of Osun State, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, has declared that his administration will continue to prioritise education for the purpose of giving children of the state a hope, a future and a place in the global space.
Oyetola, speaking through his Deputy Chief of Staff, Prince Abdullah Adeyanju Binuyo, at the World Teachers’ Day commemoration at Odo-Otin, Friday, said his administration’s intervention in the education sector so far, had been predicated on the recognition that education was the foundation of the state’s development agenda.
According to Oyetola: “Recognising that education is the foundation of our Development Agenda, our administration went to work immediately we came into office with the revitalisation of schools across the state to give our children the best education and lay the foundation for sustainable development.
“We complemented this initiative with training and re-training of our teachers to make them professional and up-to-date in the discharge of their duties. We shall continue to prioritise the education of our pupils to give them a future, a hope and a place in the global world,” Oyetola stated.
Oyetola also appreciated teachers across the state for their commitment to the profession, urging them to continue to imbibe the culture of hard work, creativity, innovation, technology and high moral standards towards achieving the goal of building competitive manpower for a better and more prosperous Osun.
He continued: “We salute our teachers for their commitment and loyalty and for rising to the challenging circumstances under which they work in the interest of our people and posterity. I thank you all for meeting the demands of the COVID-19 realities by engaging in virtual teaching – School on Air – for 16 weeks during the lockdown.
“The virtual teaching experience is an indication that we have resourceful and creative teachers who can hold their own in the technology-driven world. I urge you to improve on the experience as we match towards relevance in the Post-COVID-19 era.
“Our administration believes in the welfare of teachers and we are doing everything in our powers to recognise and reward you, to inspire and encourage you so that you can be proud of your profession and give your best to the state. We are looking into the welfare of teachers, especially in the areas of promotion, annual increment and arrears.
“The delivery of welfare to our workers is one of the core reasons we are instituting economic and investment initiatives to transform our economy and offer prosperity to our people. These initiatives have started bearing dividends. As soon as they become full blown, our teachers and workers shall be the first partakers,” Oyetola promised.
Governor Oyetola also lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for the recent changes in the terms of engagement for teachers, describing it as far reaching, and adding that the state would key into it as soon as workable.
He said: “As a state, we believe in the fundamental and far-reaching changes recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, notably the special salary scale and review of retirement age of teachers at the basic and secondary levels from 35 to 40 years and service year from 35 to 40 years. We shall key into the initiative as soon as the modalities are clearly spelt out.”
