The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board has announced plans to construct and renovate classrooms in all 33 local government areas of the state.
The board’s chairman, Nureni Adeniran, made this known during the Omituntun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing held at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan on Wednesday.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Adeniran said the state government had approved the projects for public basic schools.
Adeniran explained that the efforts of the Makinde-led government since 2019 have reduced infrastructure gaps and improved the quality of education. He said the government has trained teachers, recruited thousands more, and provided better learning environments.
He said, “The governor started the task of repositioning the basic education sector in the state in 2019. In his first four years of office, the government promptly paid UBEC counterpart funds for 2019, 2020, and 2021, which enabled SUBEB to embark on different physical and human development programmes.”
Adeniran added that the board trained 13,859 teaching and non-teaching staff, constructed 289 classroom blocks, renovated 229 classrooms, and built 60 model schools. He also mentioned the procurement of thousands of desks, teachers’ furniture, boreholes, and computers.
He said over 60,000 out-of-school children have returned to the classrooms due to these efforts.
The chairman also revealed that the state had paid counterpart funds for 2022 and 2023, unlocking over N2.6 billion in matching grants from the federal government through UBEC.
He said the new approval includes the construction of 41 classroom blocks, 60 classroom renovations, seven perimeter fences, 30 boreholes, and procurement of 5,828 pupils’ desks, 473 teachers’ tables, 910 sports equipment, and other materials.
Adeniran added that the state would carry out another set of construction and renovation using funds earned from the Better Education Service Delivery for All programme, which rewards efforts to reduce out-of-school children.
“These projects will include the construction of 28 blocks of classrooms, renovation of 29 blocks of classrooms, construction of four-compartment toilets with deep-well, sinking of 16 boreholes with tanks, and procurement of 2,922 desks and benches and 182 teachers’ tables and chairs,” he explained.
