The government of Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria, has called for more collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for technical support as it announced the 2018/2019 Annual School Census (ASC).
Development Diaries gathered that the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in the state, Olasunkanmi Olalelye, who made the call while presenting the latest ASC at a meeting of stakeholders, stressed the importance of quality education in society.
‘The state government is committed to providing quality education for its citizenry. This is visible from various initiatives that bring about a positive reform in the state education sector which consequently has created so much demand for accurate and reliable data’, he said.
‘In line with global demand, statistical information for the education sector is indispensable. Data is key to any practical and meaningful education planning, hence, the need for timely, accurate, and up-to-date education data.
‘The exercise is not a Ministry of Education, Science and Technology affair alone but a collective responsibility of all stakeholders’.
Additionally, the commissioner said, ‘Oyo State believes in an education system that provides equal opportunity to every Nigerian irrespective of gender, social status, age, religion, ethnic background, geographical location, and any peculiar challenge.
‘The United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF) has consistently been supportive of Oyo State government’s educational system in terms of collaboration and partnership aimed at improving human capacity, tailored towards the delivery of qualitative formal education’.
Presenting the year’s report, Olusunkanmi gave a brief overview of the 2018/2019 Annual School Census, highlighting that there was an increase of 35 schools, representing a 1.45 percent increase compared to the 2017/2018 academic session.
The report also showed an increase of 566 intakes for junior and senior secondary schools, accounting for 2.9 percent increase compared to the previous academic session.
Source: Independent
Photo source: Simon Berry
