Delta State is to set up an Education Endowment Fund soon in order to move its education sector forward, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has disclosed.
The governor who disclosed this Wednesday in Asaba at the Annual Conference/General Meeting of the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria Delta State Chapter, explained that since the education sector was the backbone of any society, the state government was to set up an Education Endowment Fund to ensure that Deltans had access to quality education under a conducive learning environment.
Okowa was conferred with the maiden “Professor Austin Uwandulu Strategic Management Award” in recognition of his strategic and pragmatic leadership qualities.
According to him, “The education sector is very vital to our economy as that is the breeding ground where our doctors, lawyers, even future governors are groomed and nurtured. If we are faced with recession again subventions to schools will be reduced and maintenance of our schools and ensuring that our students get the best education will be restricted, but if our schools had endowment funds with or without the allocations the schools will be well taken care of. So, with that in mind, the state government will soon be establishing the Education Endowment Fund for schools across the state.”
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, also emphasised the importance of partnership between the state government and the private sector to improve the economy of the state.
He explained that the development of any sector could not be achieved by the government alone but required the input and support of the private sector.
“Our economy although recovering from a recession can only improve when investments are brought into our country and policies that will strategically strengthen our economy are implemented.
“As a government we have been doing our very best to improve our economy and strengthen our infrastructure but we cannot do it alone, we not only need the partnership of the private sector but we have to ensure that policies that have been strategically designed to improve our economy are implemented,” the governor said, adding “We do not just need strategists, we need to make policies that are innovative and in line with global trends.”
He commended the institute for organising the conference saying, “this meeting is timely and it is my belief that at the end we will have more solutions to tackle the challenges facing our economy.”
The national president of ISMN, Dr. Emman Oyeka, stated that the conference was designed to discuss innovative ways to address the economic challenges facing the country.
He added that “we need outside the box ideas that will radically improve our economy.”
Delivering the lecture on the theme, “Unlocking Opportunities For Economic Development in Nigeria In Line With Global Trends: A Strategic Approach,” Mr. Michael Uwaechie explained that growing the economy would not only involve the partnership between the state government and the private sector, human capital development but ensuring that policies that would ensure the development of the economy to be implemented and seen to fruition.
