• Says most social vices start from communities not schools
• World Bank, Oyo govt to renovate 58 schools
• Visually impaired persons seek integration into Ondo education system as teachers
Lagos State Government, yesterday, said that good parenting would always produce good children, a reason parents must not leave their children to the teachers or government for appropriate parenting.
The state’s Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, gave the advice during the commissioning and handover of a block of 10 classrooms, desks and chairs to Amuwo-Odofin Junior High School donated by PTML.
Alli-Balogun, who implored parents not to transfer their responsibilities to teachers as children only spend about six hours in schools, further said that parents should take parenting of their children more seriously because cultism, bullying and drug abuse start mostly from the communities and not schools.
He promised that the government would ensure that pupils learn in a conducive environment devoid of all forms of distractions.
He warned teachers to desist from using the one hour after 2.00 p.m. close of academic activities for lessons, threatening to penalise any teacher caught doing so.
The commissioner said that the one hour after the close of academic work should be used to build a reading culture in pupils and extra-curricular activities.
Alli-Balogun, while commending PTML for donating the block of classrooms, furniture and transformer, said that education is about partnership and collaboration, reason for the donation of the facilities.
He, however, urged PTML to extend its good gesture of supporting the education sector to other parts of the state. In his remarks, the Managing Director of PTML, Ascanio Russo, said as an integral part of Grimaldi Group, PTML is deeply committed to social responsibility, with a particular focus on education and environment.
He said that the company’s commitment extends beyond physical infrastructure to the nurturing of young minds.
Relatedly, the Oyo State Government, in collaboration with Global Partnership for Education (GPE), a World Bank-assisted programme, has disbursed grants for the renovation of 58 public schools in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Salihu Abdulwaheed Adelabu, disclosed this during a meeting with stakeholders in Ibadan.
Adelabu said that some of the selected public schools would receive facelift through rehabilitation.
The commissioner, therefore, called on the School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) and Headteachers responsible for project delivery in various local councils to be accountable and transparent in utilising the funds.
Also speaking, the Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, said that the cost for rehabilitation would be determined upon inspection of the deplorable nature of the benefiting schools.
In another development, members of the Nigerian Association of the Blind (NAB), Ondo State chapter, have appealed to the state government to secure the future of Visually-Impaired Persons (VIP) in the state by offering them employment opportunities as teachers.
The VIP Chairman in the state, Matthew Akilo Ojo, and Secretary, Idowu Oluwasola, emphasised the need for the state government to integrate visually-impaired persons into the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM).
According to them, recruiting members of the association will help to provide quality education and employment opportunities for blind and visually-impaired persons. City, and so on.”
