“I will give Governor Seyi Makinde 8 out of 10 for his achievements in education,” declared Michael Ogunsina, the spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State. Ogunsina made this statement while detailing the administration’s unprecedented strides in transforming the education sector, from budgetary commitments to the recruitment of teachers and the establishment of new tertiary institutions.
Ogunsina lauded the administration for consistently exceeding UNESCO’s benchmark of 10% allocation to education in the state budget since 2019. “Before this government, no administration in Oyo State ever allocated 10% of the annual budget to education. Governor Makinde changed the story, and no budget has performed below 78%, ensuring real impact in our communities,” he said.
The PDP spokesperson highlighted the recruitment of 10,000 teachers in both primary and secondary schools over the last three years. Ogunsina noted that the era of understaffed schools is now a thing of the past. “We had situations where a single teacher taught multiple subjects, including English, Literature, and CRS, in the same school. Today, classrooms are adequately staffed because of this administration’s deliberate efforts,” he explained.
The recruitment process, conducted by independent consultants, was lauded for its transparency. “You don’t need to be a PDP member to get recruited. All you need is to pass the qualifying exams,” Ogunsina emphasized.
Through the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) initiative, the Makinde administration tackled the problem of out-of-school children head-on. Ogunsina revealed that the number of out-of-school children, which once exceeded 40,000, has been significantly reduced. “Now, our children are back in classrooms, receiving quality education,” he added.
Ogunsina detailed the administration’s remarkable progress in tertiary education. Before 2019, the state had only partial ownership of LAUTECH and a controversial arrangement with Technical University. Governor Makinde resolved the ownership tussle with Osun State, securing sole ownership of LAUTECH, and revitalized Technical University.
In addition, the administration upgraded Emmanuel Alayande College of Education to a University of education, bringing the number of fully functional universities in the state to three. “This means more opportunities for young people to pursue higher education and build their futures,” Ogunsina noted.
Ogunsina described the state of education before Governor Makinde as “a system in coma.” He recalled a time when secondary school students protested exorbitant fees, schools were in ruins, and teachers were grossly inadequate. “Governor Makinde did not just patch things up; he initiated a comprehensive and detailed cleanup of the mess left behind by previous administrations,” he said.
The administration has also prioritized infrastructure by paying SUBEB counterpart funds, enabling the construction and renovation of schools across the state.
Ogunsina concluded by emphasizing that the Makinde administration’s approach to education is sustainable and forward-thinking. “If the previous governments had focused on education like we have, Oyo State would now be a destination for quality basic education in Nigeria,” he said.
