Oga Sky Blue....

Please check my reactions in the bolded underlined part.

Sky Blue: With all due respect Mr Chukwumerije, I do not share your optimism. The only positive thing I saw in that report was the moving of Manufacturing facility for touch screen device to the state, and the patronising of local tailors for uniforms which are both good. I think you probably had not followed this issue since the educational summit and also the time we debated on the issue of the tailors and the laptop. What you say is good in the laptop, was widely condemed as a waste of time and funds. People here lampooned the initiative, say he should have built libraries, instead of investing in tablets. I think what I want to nail as an agreed point is the localizing of the manufacturing and knowledge transfer

Correct me if I am wrong but Osun is not exactly a rich state, like most states it depends significantly on the federal government. Hence while social reforms might sound all good and nice with fuzzy feelings et al, we need to ask what has to give. What has to give, for me will be plugging loopholes of wasteful spendings, not well thoughtout strategies and "Jeunjeun" political loot sharing. If we also add to it the fact that residents has to pay taxes, the state has to increase the IGR drive and much more. I think it's probably laziness of being innovative that makes us tag states as perpetually reliant of federal allocation as the means of survival. I'm also tempted to see a contradiction with your next question on quality...and my answers therein.

Education is much more than infrastructure. Education is about quality. It goes beyond buildings to include lab equipments, teacher training, etc. The problem a lot of Nigerian Universities have is that they CANNOT source funds effectively enough to improve on the quality (equipment, training, infrastructure, etc). So what we end up with is many village schools we call universities whose bests are yet to crack the top 1000 in the world. I think you need to furnish yourself with the outcome of the Educational summit held the more. Quality was a major identified gap and challenge that needed to be addresssed. I remember vividly well a poser Aregbesola made to the delegates to ponder upon was the viability of a 7-campus arrangement of UNIOSUN which makes it difficult to maintain as against a single, stronger and better managed institution. For me, I eagerly await the 170 model schools he's embarked upon and I pray he brings it to fruition soon (I thought they said some will be ready before the resumption of the new session). I want to see model schools like the ones Tinubu and Fashola has built in Lagos. Then my guess is that the issue of standard labs, libraries, computer facilities etc will come with the package

So the question is this, how does reducing University income help matters? I'm also with you on this. Reducing Univeristy fees, is just a short term political gimmick that won't work. Education is not cheap and we're better off looking for more realistic way of bridging the gap.

And the most shocking thing, we are meant to celebrate government sending students abroad to get a better education in a place that can give them opportunities their state and country could not provide for them? [b] You're wrong here. Sending them to Ukrane was a last resort, to give them a soft landing. These students would have had to go do Jamb again. Recall that the medical students of UniOsun could not proceed to do their clinicals, as UniOsun had no teaching hospitals and these students were rejected by all other Nigerian Universities that were approached for help; hence the Ukraine option. So this is laudable as a social service/gift to Osun medical student in a dire situation[/b]How is that something to beat the chest about? Were these students made to sign contract saying when they finish they will come back to contribute meaningfully to their state? So what does the state gain from that?

There were other things to pick up on from that article but it is not worth the time. Sometimes I worry about the leaders we have. The positives are manufacturing site moving to the state. I liked the reforms for primary schools (assuming the state can EVEN afford it), but I saw nothing to be joyful about with regards to educational QUALITY for Secondary schools and Universities IN THE STATE.Please prove with data and stats that the state cannot afford it. Is this opinion from an informed position or just your imagination

I might just have to start ignoring news about Osun because me and that man think completely differently. Socialism is not cheap. We should be helping our Universities tap into global funds to help improve their quality and be trying to retain and meaningfully deploy local talent.Socialism or Capitalism is not the issue here. Education is it that is not cheap. I think you're just overtly jumping into wrong conclusions. Please what global funds are you talking about All your positions here are simple suggestion that needed to be added to make a collective good. You've not said anything new or different. I think it is important that there was an all inclusive stakeholder summit in planning the policies and execution. That some of the action point of the summit is being actualized and not in a dusty file, is the greatest pluses to take away.

Oga Mallam,

Commending "each alike" without factual basis for such commendation is useless. Kano's gov is doing well, so we heard as well, but supply details so we can review it. It is even for our good. If your grouse is that we are talking about one and not the other, then you're probaly going to reduce the essence of this discussion to "roforofo-dog-fight" or "beer-parlor-analysis"

Funkymallam:

not blaming anyone bro but saying we should commend each alike.
Do you know the population of kano state compared to osun with relative to the allocation? Moreover, the gov is just over a year there and is doing great in the respect.

You even hit the nail on the head more than I did

Katsumoto:

He doesn't have to employ federal character when talking about achievers. If he likes he can mention two only from the SW or one from the SW and two from the SS or only one from the SE. If he hasn't heard of good works from administrators in other regions, should he mention them just for the sake of applying federal character?

There is no need to make subjective arguments about the level of development in the education sector or any sector for that matter. The thread is open to debate, if you feel that Osun state is lagging because other states are doing better with their own resources, then present the data. That would be a more logical approach than the approach which you took which what appears to be a witch-hunt.

BTW, I am not criticizing you, just your approach.

So if they didn't put you on the spot, na "roforofo fight" you for start. Thanks sha, that's the spirit. Suffice it to say, I actually read that piece on when it came out a while back too.

Funkymallam: See some here, will be back


[b][/b]



http://www.newswatchngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4310&Itemid=28

mapet: Oga Sky Blue....

Please check my reactions in the bolded underlined part.

Good to note you are someone who followed issues from inception. I think administrators can do no better than what Aregbesola did. He involved educationists, stakeholders and technocrats in an effort to provide comprehensive solutions to challenges in the education sector. The result of that collaboration is what we are seeing. Mistakes will be made along the way but there is no better model to secure success than one which involves asking the most qualified ,in the land, to 'brainstorm' the way forward and then implementing their suggestions sincerely.

http://osunstate.gov.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34:osun-education-summit-ends-with-calls-for-policy-without-politics&catid=7&Itemid=199

Osun Education Summit Ends With Calls For Policy Without Politics


Published on Friday, 11 February 2011 12:32


After two days of intensive deliberations, the Osun State Education Summit has ended with an 18-point communiqué which stipulates that any policy related to the sector must be divested of political consideration.

The communiqué which was signed by Mrs. Modupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, Dr. A. Haastrup, Dr. E.T. Babalola, Dr. Mrs. Oluwakemi Adesina, Mr. O. Adepoju, Mr. V.O. Olaniyi, Mr. O. O. Dada and Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the Director of Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, also agreed that all appointments, recruitments and execution of projects in the education sector should henceforth, be based purely on merit.

The summit called for attitudinal change and a paradigm shift from the government to parents, teachers and students.

Government, according to the communiqué, should accord deserved priority to education so as to bail it out of the doldrums.

In order to guarantee the required quality, the summit also called for improvement in funding at all levels of education while insisting that such funds released for the purpose should be judiciously utilised.
The Summit which held inside the Auditorium of the main campus of the Osun State University, Osogbo Auditorium, focussed on a theme “Resolving the Education Crisis in Osun State: Bridging Analysis & Implementation Gaps” and offered a unique opportunity to critically review the need to recreate, renew and re-awaken the legacies of the good old days with a view to resolving the education crisis in Osun State.

More than 1,000 participants from all over Nigeria and from Nigerians in the Diaspora attended the two-day summit which received 38 memoranda and eleven business proposals from different stakeholders and the members of the public.

Among the sub-themes addressed by the summit were “Resolving the Education Crisis in Osun State”, “Quality Assurance and Capacity Building”, “Role of Stakeholders”, “Early Childhood and Basic Education”, “Funding Approaches”, “Curriculum Implementation for Functional and Entrepreneurial Education” and “Special Education and Language in Education”.

Being predominantly agrarian, the summit held further that most schools in the State are in the rural area which had implications for ensuring quality in terms of recruitment and retention of qualified staff, provision of basic infrastructure that will aid acquisition of knowledge and make learning interesting to the pupils.

The summit observed that the present administration was courageous in admitting that there were problems in the educational sector of the state which must be tackled and resolved immediately.

It was also observed that the crisis manifesting in the education sector started in the homes where parents have been engaging in the rat race for wealth which eroded the foundation of home training, engulfed our primary education, strangulated the secondary education and devastated the state’s tertiary and technical education.

The summit described as sensitive the calls for return of schools to their original owners and called for a careful but exhaustive consultations with all stakeholders in resolving the issue peacefully.

That the possibility of return of schools to their original owners in Osun State is a very sensitive issue that needs to be carefully considered and appropriate decision made after exhaustive consultations with all stakeholders;

It also criticised past half-hearted, non-existent and uncoordinated measures put up in the past by policy makers and implementers who had been paying lip service to solving the decay in the sector.

Katsumoto:

He doesn't have to employ federal character when talking about achievers. If he likes he can mention two only from the SW or one from the SW and two from the SS or only one from the SE. If he hasn't heard of good works from administrators in other regions, should he mention them just for the sake of applying federal character?

There is no need to make subjective arguments about the level of development in the education sector or any sector for that matter. The thread is open to debate, if you feel that Osun state is lagging because other states are doing better with their own resources, then present the data. That would be a more logical approach than the approach which you took which what appears to be a witch-hunt.

BTW, I am not criticizing you, just your approach.

Oga katsumoto, I thank you for your reply. To be honest you cannot say or do right according to some people here. Am I to now deploy federal character while mentioning performers or remain eternally damned for not doing so? People who want to join issues with you by force , on this forum, will do so even to counter your utterance that there are seven days in the week.

Those students rioting are penny wise , pound foolish .

because of N10,000 bursary, Imagine pelting stones at some one who reduced their school fees by 50 %, for all of the students(of whatever state of origin ) it translated to over N30,000 -N150,000 reduction / session.

At least one of this must be wrong
1. They were so fooooolish and lacked critical thinking to look at the big picture

2. They were been used by the opposition elements in the state

N10,000 bursary is even not for all the students, but only few.


Nevertheless, Aregbesola has a part of the blame, why PROMISE those idiiiiots N10k bursary and not fulfill it, Iheir was no need giving out any useless bursary after slashing their tuition .

Pywoteva held me for one hour. Lets continue this ride:

[b]Kano State Government has awarded scholarship to 501 indigenes of the state to pursue their master programme in overseas universities of their choice, as part of efforts to bridge the education gap between the north and the south.


Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who disclosed this during the distribution of admission letters of the beneficiaries at the Government House weekend, said, the state is currently experiencing a dearth of qualified manpower.


If something urgent is not done, he said the state will continue to depend on other states for its manpower requirement, hence the sponsorship of the first batch of graduates.


He directed the Higher Education Commissioner, Alhaji Umar Doguwa to ensure that only university graduates with first class and second class upper division are qualified for the scholarship, warning that any anomaly discovered would be sanctioned.


According to him, on completion of their various courses, they would take over the leadership of various sectors in the state.
Kwankwaso disclosed that the state government would also sponsor 100 brilliant secondary school students to study medicine, while another batch of 100 will undergo a training course in piloting.


schools and fund education properly. It is not about building more universities, but paying more attention to the sector by bringing it to its pride of place.”


Facilitators at the event each enjoined participants to embrace change and be the best they could be. Mr. Gbenga Sesan, advised the youths to equip themselves with knowledge and information that would make an impact on their lives.


The alumni association of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, has concluded plans to organise the David Oyedepo Day of Service, in honour of the Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo for his legacies and contributions to humanity.


President of the association, Mr. Olumuyiwa Fadugba, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists recently, said the event is one of the three major activities put together by the association, as part of activities to celebrate its 10th anniversary in October. He said the event would coincide with Oyedepo’s birthday.


“We know that people have been celebrating Nelson Mandela Day, Martin Luther King Junior Day and others for their contributions to humanity, so we also want to acknowledge our chancellor as one who touched our lives. Oyedepo is someone who has made significant contributions to the education sector and other spheres of human endeavour. For us to show our gratitude for what he has done over the years we have decided to come together and give honour to who honour is due.”


He said all its branches both in the country and abroad have been mandated to work towards executing a major project as their contribution to the development of their respective communities.[/b]

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/501-kano-indigenes-get-overseas-scholarship/124704/

mapet: Oga Sky Blue....

Please check my reactions in the bolded underlined part.

I will simply address the main differring views.

The best reform in all I saw was in the primary school sector which I pointed out - so it was irrelevant going into that. I stand my ground on there being little improvement in quality of education with the outcomes posted in secondary and tertiary institutions. Apart from manufacturing in Osun, what do they actually bring to the educational process of secondary and tertiary institutions? I am also of the view that one solidly maintained and improved campus makes more sense than seven poorly equiped village sites.

With regards to sending students to Ukraine, we need to fundamentally look at the purpose of education and the purpose of a University. If it can's contribute to society then it is worthless. Now, the students being sent off to Ukraine all expenses paid, are they under any obligation to return to the state to contribute to it meanigfully? If not then what on earth does the state gain, considering it is the state paying for this? Chinese students are helped by their government, study abroad AND return to China to add to development of that growing economy.

With regards to budget and whether the state can afford it, I find it a HUGE contradiction that you could postulate about the need for fiscal responsibility by 'plugging loopholes', and then challenge me to prove the state can afford it these social reforms. I really have to restrain myself so it does not seem like I am insulting you, but that is a tad silly. Like most states in Nigeria, Osun struggles with infrastrucure and insecurity among other vices. Money that is spent on schemes with lesser societal impact like sending students to Ukraine and a few others I did not bother to mention, is money that could have been spent on OTHER THINGS. No Nigerian state is in the position of having more money than it needs, hence the need for minimal WASTE.

I will pick the only main point raised in your last flurry of sentences. Bodies like the UN and international research bodies and NGOS normally have processes through which institutions can apply for grants. I know that such is possible because I have looked into the issue before (won't elaborate unless necessary). A lot of Universities in the west make most of their money from research grants.

Funkymallam,

Why don't you open another thread for Kano, this is about Osun.

If you have a trumpet and you refuse to blow it, it's your problem. You can't blame others for blowing theirs.

Just answering Kasp. Will be back......

Akanbi_edu: Funkymallam,

Why don't you open another thread for Kano, this is about Osun.

If you have a trumpet and you refuse to blow it, it's your problem. You can't blame others for blowing theirs.

Simple.This is the bane of Nairaland and , by extension, Nigeria. Can we not collectively look, in detail, at what Osun has gotten praise for instead of some folks resorting to feudalism? Chukwumerije knew precisely what he was talking about when he advised others to "drop" their egos. he knows Nigeria and Nigerians. We are an egotistical, emotional and feudalistic people who prefer to turn everything into a fight rather than an opportunity to seek solutions that benefits the majority.

Chukwumerije hails Osun’s education policies
Posted by: Our Reporter Posted date: October 10, 2012 In: Featured, News | comment : 2


“The states and the country owe Governor Rauf Aregbesola a lot of gratitude for promptly laying a formidable foundation for education in the state. I will like to use this opportunity to advise other states, irrespective of your political affiliation. You must drop your ego and learn from the people-oriented projects and programmes of Governor Aregbesola.”


What foundation are they laying again? After how many years of being centre of academic excellence. Chukwumerije should just go and sit down

emiye: Those students rioting are penny wise , pound foolish .

because of N10,000 bursary, Imagine pelting stones at some one who reduced their school fees by 50 %, for all of the students(of whatever state of origin ) it translated to over N30,000 -N150,000 reduction / session.

At least one of this must be wrong
1. They were so fooooolish and lacked critical thinking to look at the big picture

2. They were been used by the opposition elements in the state

N10,000 bursary is even not for all the students, but only few.


Nevertheless, Aregbesola has a part of the blame, why PROMISE those idiiiiots N10k bursary and not fulfill it, Iheir was no need giving out any useless bursary after slashing their tuition .

It is indeed Aregbesola's fault. He simply does not appreciate how unreasonable Nigerians can be. He increased bursary to 10,000.00 while this was not allowed for in the budget. He intended to make supplementary amendment to prepare the extra amount. Will students understand this?

He should pledge the increase when Osun has taken the necessary action to make the funds available to pay bursary at a much higher rate because , in Nigeria, a voluntary act of goodwill and welfare will be used against him by a people now turning very savage and unreasonable.

He should simply reverse the generous 8,000.00 increase and pay the much lower original 2,000.00 instead of being pilloried and heckled for attempting to do good and make education "more affordable". If he had kept the bursary to the original amount then he won't be getting all this problem. He has just boxed himself into a corner unnecessarily.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/49021-osun-needs-n216m-to-pay-bursary-aregbesola

Osun needs N216m to pay bursary - Aregbesola


Written by Adewale Ajayi,Osogbo
Thursday, 11 October 2012
Osun State government has said it would need about N216.334 million to pay the approved N10,000 bursary to each student of Osun State origin in tertiary institutions across the country.

The state governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, said this while reacting to Tuesday’s protest by students of tertiary institutions in the state, over non-payment of their annual bursary by the state government.

He explained that the non-payment was due to the fact that the amount approved was not budgeted for in this year’s annual budget.

Aregbesola recalled that his administration’s resolution to make education affordable for students was the reason he increased the bursary to N10,000.

According to Aregbesola, “in determining the accurate figure of bursary beneficiaries, this administration set up a committee that went round the country to have true number of our students scattered all over tertiary institutions. It came up with a figure of 20, 215 in 74 institutions, as against an unverified figure of 10, 264 in 62 institutions recorded by previous administration.

“Compilation of statistics took time. However, before final compilation of the accurate figure, budget for 2012 had been made. What was appropriated was N70 million, since appropriation is a compulsory requirement for government expenditure. The need to get the House of Assembly’s go ahead to meet up with the N216,334,000, who were due for bursary, this government is at the moment, processing the supplementary budget at the House of Assembly,” the governor said.

He explained that while the supplementary budget was still ongoing, students’ demand was that they should be paid the old rate.

Aregbesola maintained that if there was no fraud or mischief, no sane man would prefer to take N2,000 instead of N10,000 as bursary.

Let me go straight to some key issues

1. You're entitled to your opinions, so no biggie
2. I'm tempted to believe that the crux of this thread is lost on you. First off, thank God that a non Osun, a non ACN member and the head of the Senate committe on education gave the verdict after an assessment. I am not too certain how many of such has been given by the same body. So if you point out that the best reform you saw were some few things, all well and good. I would have thought an understanding of Chukwumerije's statement bothering on translation of policies into strategy and action is the laudable effort. Besides, it is not compulsory that all the 18point be implemented in 1day or 1 year. what is important is that a sustainable foundation is laid and continually built upon.
3. With regards to the students in Ukraine, except you're on a journey in self deceit, then it should not be lost on you that the state government had done something noble and responsible with the situation all involved found themselves. First who's fault was it to enrol students on medical program when they were not ready to put in place the requisite teaching hospital and get it accredited. So you expect the state government to now leave the huge problem of Osun State medical students being in limbo and then be discussing some useless bond?
4. Please insult me as you wish, but if you care to check, the OP came into this thread with facts. Even Funkymallan that was challenged to do same did. Yet you expect us to gobble some unverified statements that they should have accessed grants from international bodies. Even at that, humour me a little; what is the correllation of "Research Grants" with the government's cost of running a state University. Is that what research grants used for to you
5. If you're still battling with how the state could have funded the 18 action point in the policy, i'll tell you that the summit itself had charged a sub-committee with the task of fund-raising strategies. I keep saying it that we take the easiest route of general critisism without critically looking at contents and workings of institution,yet we end up talking from an uninformed view

Sky Blue:

I will simply address the main differring views.

The best reform in all I saw was in the primary school sector which I pointed out - so it was irrelevant going into that. I stand my ground on there being little improvement in quality of education with the outcomes posted in secondary and tertiary institutions. Apart from manufacturing in Osun, what do they actually bring to the educational process of secondary and tertiary institutions? I am also of the view that one solidly maintained and improved campus makes more sense than seven poorly equiped village sites.

With regards to sending students to Ukraine, we need to fundamentally look at the purpose of education and the purpose of a University. If it can's contribute to society then it is worthless. Now, the students being sent off to Ukraine all expenses paid, are they under any obligation to return to the state to contribute to it meanigfully? If not then what on earth does the state gain, considering it is the state paying for this? Chinese students are helped by their government, study abroad AND return to China to add to development of that growing economy.

With regards to budget and whether the state can afford it, I find it a HUGE contradiction that you could postulate about the need for fiscal responsibility by 'plugging loopholes', and then challenge me to prove the state can afford it these social reforms. I really have to restrain myself so it does not seem like I am insulting you, but that is a tad silly. Like most states in Nigeria, Osun struggles with infrastrucure and insecurity among other vices. Money that is spent on schemes with lesser societal impact like sending students to Ukraine and a few others I did not bother to mention, is money that could have been spent on OTHER THINGS. No Nigerian state is in the position of having more money than it needs, hence the need for minimal WASTE.

I will pick the only main point raised in your last flurry of sentences. Bodies like the UN and international research bodies and NGOS normally have processes through which institutions can apply for grants. I know that such is possible because I have looked into the issue before (won't elaborate unless necessary). A lot of Universities in the west make most of their money from research grants.

one_man: Where are the picture? Are these things in the pipeline or they are already existing. If you go to calabar you we see for yourself and also pictures from people that have been there. If your go to PH, Enugu, Edo, Lagos etc. You will see the development.
Ameachi built the first model school with pipeline plans of employing indians to manage the schools.
Chukwumerije is yet to visit these states. They (senators & reps members) will only blow the trumpet of the state that entertain them best.
Wolves....?

Pictures of Policies?

I'd rather we allow the discussion of Educational Policies and Strategies of any state that's worth discussing on this thread. There is nothing bad if he brings Kano here. I like the fact that he took up the challenge and provided facts. I also think we can learn a thing or two from Kano's perspective.

Akanbi_edu: Funkymallam,

Why don't you open another thread for Kano, this is about Osun.

If you have a trumpet and you refuse to blow it, it's your problem. You can't blame others for blowing theirs.

one_man: Where are the picture? Are these things in the pipeline or they are already existing. If you go to calabar you we see for yourself and also pictures from people that have been there. If your go to PH, Enugu, Edo, Lagos etc. You will see the development.
Ameachi built the first model school with pipeline plans of employing indians to manage the schools.
Chukwumerije is yet to visit these states. They (senators & reps members) will only blow the trumpet of the state that entertain them best.
Wolves....?

Standing5: Pictures of Policies?

NL with pictures

mapet: Let me go straight to some key issues

1. You're entitled to your opinions, so no biggie
2. I'm tempted to believe that the crux of this thread is lost on you. First off, thank God that a non Osun, a non ACN member and the head of the Senate committe on education gave the verdict after an assessment. I am not too certain how many of such has been given by the same body. So if you point out that the best reform you saw were some few things, all well and good. I would have thought an understanding of Chukwumerije's statement bothering on translation of policies into strategy and action is the laudable effort. Besides, it is not compulsory that all the 18point be implemented in 1day or 1 year. what is important is that a sustainable foundation is laid and continually built upon.
3. With regards to the students in Ukraine, except you're on a journey in self deceit, then it should not be lost on you that the state government had done something noble and responsible with the situation all involved found themselves. First who's fault was it to enrol students on medical program when they were not ready to put in place the requisite teaching hospital and get it accredited. So you expect the state government to now leave the huge problem of Osun State medical students being in limbo and then be discussing some useless bond?
4. Please insult me as you wish, but if you care to check, the OP came into this thread with facts. Even Funkymallan that was challenged to do same did. Yet you expect us to gobble some unverified statements that they should have accessed grants from international bodies. Even at that, humour me a little; what is the correllation of "Research Grants" with the government's cost of running a state University. Is that what research grants used for to you
5. If you're still battling with how the state could have funded the 18 action point in the policy, i'll tell you that the summit itself had charged a sub-committee with the task of fund-raising strategies. I keep saying it that we take the easiest route of general critisism without critically looking at contents and workings of institution,yet we end up talking from an uninformed view

You have been unable to actually tackle the ISSUES raised, and the part in bold SAYS A LOT.
I will try and pick off the points one by one. Points 1 and 2 require no response, Chukwumerije is free to say what he wants, it won't be the first time a politician is praising another politician in Nigeria but unless he can specifically tell us what he is praising I hold his praise in little regard (afterall didn't Odilli win best governor awards in this same Nigeria?).

Now point 3. Social policies generally tend to be noble, and yes people should try to be noble, governments should also try to be noble. However, you have a situation where you are sending students abroad, with no commitment or obligation for them to come back and contribute to the state that helped them, thereby adding to the BRAIN DRAIN in the country and you expect me to praise blindly? You see no problem with that? He could not help the students through an agreement with another state in Nigeria get into a teaching hospital there? You speak about being 'noble and responsible'. Well, it might have been noble but it was definitely IRRESPONSIBLE.

Point 4. Research grants are ONE of the ways Universities of repute generally source funds. It helps Universities FOCUS on the actual purposes of a University which Nigerians falsely believe to be just teaching (clue, the main purpose of Universities are RESEARCH that add to society, teaching is even secondary in some cases - this is the way it should be). This is the reason why our Universities remain backward, they add very little to the society apart from graduates that have learnt to cram. The job of Government should not be to run a University neither should Osun's because quite frankly speaking, they cannot afford it. What the government could have done was to keep contirbuting funds WHILE working with the University in Osun as well as with International bodies to see what they could attract with regards to investments in the University. This is NOT unheard of.

Point 5. The very last sentence is not worth responding to but I will tackle the earlier. The part in bold tells me you know how silly it sounded for government to be mouthing all these social programs while cutting the very little income secondary and tertiary institutions make from fees and expecting quality to increase at the same time (so I wonder who really is being deceitful here). If the government is able to source the funds without taking significantly away from other areas like infrastructure, health, etc, then FINE. Although I would BET YOU that following this path is NOT sustainable (are they going to be doing fundraiser and bake sale every semester to barely keep the University running?). It's funny how you would want to give me a lecture on how and how not to critique initiatives when you are unable to provide these 'facts' you keep going on about that ADDRESS the REAL ISSUES raised.

The defence you keep coming back to is 'well Chukwumerije must have seen something different'. WHAT DID HE SEE? If you can't answer that question and let us see what he sees but just expect us to trust he saw something anyway then go look for somebody else. I have no reason to wish Osun state bad, if he does well he does well, and yes it is subjective (in some cases), and this is my subjective view backed by issues raised. Try to ADDRESS the issues or admit that the government is willing to proceed with these issues remaining untackled. Keep seeing sending students abroad to learn in and develop Ukraine as achievement, that is your prerogative.

mapet:



NL with pictures

Are you telling me that the new school buildings are policies, the laptops and the new uniforms are policies? Go to PH and see the policy physically on ground.

Yes oh, Physical policy on ground.

one_man:

Are you telling me that the new school buildings are policies, the laptops and the new uniforms are policies? Go to PH and see the policy physically on ground.

How can policies get more 'physical' and on the ground than , for example, feeding and nourishing students? I don't know why we Nigerians now hate each other to the extent everything has to be about competition and who/what is 'better'.

We cannot just simply give credit where due regardless of who is involved. You guys come here distractingly mentioning Kano, Port Harcourt et al. Is Chukwumerije, as Chairman of the Senate committee on education, a fool or less knowledgeable or less exposed than you 'Einsteins'? Is it not his job to note what is going on, in the entire Nation, regarding the education sector? Is it you and others who are statistically, officially and financially empowered to do Chukwumerije's job?

After all is said and done, is it not likely, for a reasonable person at least, that Chukwumerije will be better exposed and more informed than most of us about the education sector? Aregbesola speaks sequel to Chukwumerije's visit and after the student protests. Folks like you should simply read what is submitted dispassionately instead of talking arrogantly as if you know better than others. Chukwumerije knows his people (Nigerians) very well and this is why he advised all to "drop their ego" and emulate what is worth commending.

http://www.osundefender.org/?p=45999

‘We Have Revolutionalised Osun’ – Aregbesola

Culled from Tribune Interview Headlined ‘A Frank, Firm And Fearless Governor Explains…’

…What we have now is misinformation and mischief in governance. When government makes a decision, it has to pass through some procedure, unless it is emergency, which would make it compulsory to shun all the procedures. We are working on it and we have to compute the figures, which is up to N216m. The budget for the year was around N100 billion or thereabout. You just don’t spend government money anyhow; you must get appropriation for all expenditures. The House of Assembly must give legal power and that is what we call appropriation. We needed the House to get approval for the N216m.And that is what we are processing and we kept on and they felt agitated because of their exuberance.

The only thing I want to advise is that in the exercise of your rights and expression, please be mindful of the rights of others that must not be infringed upon. That is what will help me. As civilized men and women, we must be conscious of our rights and privileges as we are conscious of the rights of others. Any insult or denigration to my person has no meaning. As we all exhibit the maturity required in understanding the rights of others, I never saw anything there. Yesterday (Tuesday, October 9), the students were unruly. But I want to engage them and educate them that bursary is not a right but a privilege that we, as conscious leaders, know must be given as an extension of support to their quest for education. I am in agreement that if you cannot give absolute free education because of our circumstances, there is need to provide support for our students. Strangely yesterday, an interesting irony played itself out.

Just before I came here, I received the Senate Committee on Education led by its chairman, Comrade Uche Chukwumerije, who had come for oversight visits to all Federal Government education interventions. The report of the committee indicated that no state has educational programme and policy compared to our own. That was the summary of their comments.


[b]We are the only state today, providing nutritious meals for over 200,000 pupils in primary 1 to 4 everyday in Nigeria. This is gulping N3billion every school session. We are the only government making efforts to get school uniforms for about 750,000 students. No government has ever attempted such in history, whether during the British colonial rule or now that we have attained independence. I would go down in history as the only government planning to give electronic learning tablets to senior secondary school students of about 150,000. I want to play it down because we are still in the formative stage; I pray it works finally. I want to develop new state-of-the-art basic infrastructure, buildings and furniture for 21 high schools, each of them with the capacity to accommodate 3,000 students, sporting facilities and other recreational structures that will make learning meaningful. It includes buildings of 50 middle schools, with capacity of 1,000 students, properly equipped and 100 elementary schools for 100,000 pupils. It does not mean that these would address all the needs, but I would have set in motion an irreversible system that would make education effective, functional and attractive to both the students and parents.[/b]

Education is the development of fully grooming a citizen, such that he or she can independently live a productive life in the society and that is our goal. When you put all these together and you contrast it with what happened yesterday, you will wonder that are we really educating anybody?

Other socio-economic interventions on roads and drainage and hospitals, they ought to be affected by these, which also affect them from the education point of view. When I was in schools, we proudly used the students’ union facilities on campuses for our activities. Students willingly support deductions from their student union grants to purchase vehicles. Where would I have the money, with all that I have explained, for any frivolity? I therefore don’t see any justification for their protest. What I am waiting for is a meeting, dialogue and let us see where we have erred. Is it in unilaterally increasing their bursary allowance? Is it in expanding the coverage of the bursary or seeking the legitimate mandate to get the money? Where did we go wrong?

Some people are instigating them. Before our advent, some actions that are not quite appropriate might have been the order of the day. There is no way that N2,000 can be the basis for violent agitation. The cost of movement within the state thoroughly defeats those efforts. It totally discount the possibility of some manipulations of the inadequate provision before now, because what I found out was that half of what was released before my advent in June, 2010, had not been paid to the students. What that tells you simply is that they had enacted a strict control that would not even allow easy access to that money. Half of what was approved for release before we came on board had not been collected. Don’t forget that this bursary was meant for final year students. Final students in 2010 would no longer be students in 2012. That was what led the Pandora’s Box about this bursary thing. The agitation is not for bursary; rather, it was for the arrangement that was in existence before the advent of Ogbeni as the governor of Osun State. I hope I have answered your question.

Sir that particular question you have just answered leads us to another. Two years in the saddle, you came in with a lot of expectations and when you juxtaposed that with the realities on the ground now, how do you feel?
I feel fulfilled. Is it that I have changed the attitude of teachers? That is my Deputy Governor, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education. Maybe she should take over from here.