₦airaland Forum

Education reform is often discussed in terms of policies, budgets, and official statements. But for the common man, it is a classroom that no longer leaks during the rainy season, a pupil who has a desk and chair to sit at, and a teacher who has support good enough to control a crowded class.
From the very start of his time in office, Governor Dapo Abiodun made a promise to make Ogun State's education system great again. “We are going to bring our education sector up to standard”, he said. And to achieve this, he set up policies, panels and reforms.
For many public schools in Ogun State, the challenge was never access to education but rather the conditions in which learning took place. Dilapidated roofs, overcrowded classrooms, broken furniture, and poor sanitation were common features and sights, particularly in primary and junior secondary schools. For many years and administrations, these conditions affected not just comfort but also attendance, concentration, and safety of the learners.

Fixing classrooms and learning spaces
Ogun State, under the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, has, over the years, witnessed a series of reforms and changes in the education sector, aimed at improving how schools function on a day-to-day basis. These interventions were not designed to impress on paper, but to address long-standing gaps in infrastructure, staffing, affordability, and management across the state.
In his first term, Governor Dapo Abiodun rehabilitated more than 1,000 public primary and junior secondary schools under what is known as the “Yellow Roof Revolution.” The focus was based solely on repairing roofs, improving classroom structures, and restoring state-owned schools to a condition where learning could happen without constant disruption from weather or unsafe facilities and conditions.

Alongside this, over 25,000 tables and chairs were procured and distributed to pupils and students across state-owned schools in all 20 local government areas of the state. In practical terms, this reduced the number of pupils forced to share desks or sit on the classroom floor. This may seem small, but it is indeed a significant shift in the daily classroom experience for the learners.
You may ask, why do these changes matter? These changes matter because learning environments shape behaviour and outcomes. Research shows that safe, healthy, and well-equipped learning environments positively influence pupils’ academic outcomes, supporting engagement and achievement.
A functional classroom improves attendance, reduces fatigue, and supports better classroom management. Beyond learners, teachers benefit as well. Properly equipped classrooms allow them to focus on teaching rather than wasting time on crowd control or improvisation.
In order to support continued improvement, the administration approved ₦200 million as an education trust fund for infrastructural development in state-owned schools. Rather than a one-off intervention, this created a funding channel for ongoing maintenance and upgrades. This is a recognition that infrastructure requires continuity and not just construction.
Supporting teachers where it matters
It is important to remember that infrastructure alone does not educate children; teachers do. This, the governor is well aware of, and he made mention during the 2019 World Teachers Day celebration in Ogun state.
“I know very much the sacrifices that teachers make daily to impart knowledge, considering that students spend a large part of their days with their teachers. The teachers are fast becoming foster parents as well, and as such, a good student is not just a reflection of the home, but also of the teacher.”
Before his interventions, many public schools in Ogun State faced staff shortages, uneven teacher distribution, and low morale driven by stalled promotions and limited professional pathways.
To address vacancies in public primary and secondary schools, the government introduced OgunTEACh, a paid, two-year teaching experience acquisition programme. The scheme was designed to fill immediate gaps in classrooms while also creating an entry pathway for young graduates into the teaching profession.
In addition, full-time teachers and interns were employed across public schools, improving staff availability and reducing the burden on overstretched educators. For pupils, this translated into fewer unattended classes and more consistent learning schedules. For teachers, it meant more manageable workloads and clearer role definitions.

Teacher motivation was also addressed through the approval of long-delayed promotions, covering up to the 2020/2021 period. While promotions may appear administrative, they are crucial to getting productivity. Recognition affects morale, retention, and commitment, particularly in a sector where burnout is common.
Together, these interventions stabilised the teaching workforce. Schools with adequate staffing function better, students experience fewer learning disruptions, and teachers are better positioned to focus on their duties.
Removing barriers to education
One of the most significant shifts in education under this administration was the cancellation of all forms of levies in public primary and secondary schools across the state. While education was long officially described as free, informal levies imposed by previous administrations had continued to place pressure on parents, especially those with multiple children in school.
By abolishing these levies, the administration reduced hidden costs that often led to absenteeism, delayed enrolment, or quiet withdrawals from school. For families living on tight margins, even small, recurring fees can determine whether a child stays in school consistently.
This policy mattered because access is not only about the availability of schools, but affordability of attendance. Removing financial barriers improves retention, encourages regular attendance, and reduces the social stigma attached to the inability to pay. When policy becomes lived experience, it means people can actually feel the impact of decisions in their daily lives.
At the tertiary level, indigent students in Ogun State-owned institutions benefited from bursary payments aimed at easing financial strain. While bursaries do not eliminate all costs associated with higher education, they can be helpful in preventing students from dropping out due to short-term financial shocks.
Outstanding students were also rewarded with prizes, including endowment funds, housing, and employment opportunities. Beyond recognition, these incentives sent a signal about merit, effort, and possibility, particularly in a system where students often struggle to see clear rewards for academic excellence.

Strengthening tertiary institutions
Tertiary institutions depend greatly on administrative stability. This is why, in the absence of it, leadership vacuums, weak governance structures, and unresolved funding challenges often lead to strikes, accreditation issues, and disrupted academic calendars, all of which directly affect students.
In this administration, the Ogun State Government resuscitated Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere, and Tai Solarin Federal University of Education from prolonged periods of decline. While the specifics might have been different, the central aim was to restore functionality by reopening programmes, addressing administrative gaps, and re-establishing confidence among staff and students.
Very importantly, governing councils were reconstituted for all state tertiary institutions. This intervention addressed management and oversight, ensuring that institutions had functioning leadership structures capable of decision-making, accountability, and long-term planning.
For students, this mattered in very practical ways. Stable governance reduces the likelihood of academic disruptions, improves programme continuity, and strengthens institutional credibility, all of which are factors that affect both learning quality and even post-graduation opportunities.
Using systems to plan for the future
Beyond visible infrastructure, the administration invested in systems that shape how education is planned and managed. A central Education Management Information System (EMIS) was established to improve pupil and student data management across the state.
Accurate data helps thrive effective policy, and with reliable information on enrolment, attendance, staffing, and facilities, the government is better positioned to identify gaps, allocate resources, and plan interventions based on evidence and facts rather than assumptions.
These investments, under the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, signal a shift from reactive interventions to structured planning, which is an essential foundation for sustainable education reform.

When policy becomes lived experience
Posterity and evidence can prove the fact that these numerous changes and intervention has altered how education is currently experienced across Ogun State.
For pupils, it meant learning in safer, better-equipped classrooms, with seats to sit on and teachers available to teach. For parents, it reduced the financial pressure associated with public schooling and improved confidence that sending children to school would not come with unpredictable costs.

For teachers, it brought clearer career progression, improved staffing support, and working environments more conducive to effective teaching. For tertiary students, it meant institutions that function more reliably and offer a greater sense of stability.
Most importantly, these interventions reframed education from a series of projects to a system that supports daily life. They addressed physical spaces, human resources, affordability, governance, and data, all of which are the elements that determine whether education works in practice.
The Abiodun administration has continuously demonstrated that when policy is translated into tangible improvements, such as having roofs repaired, desks provided, teachers employed, and costs removed, amongst other things, citizens can see, tell and feel the difference.
Well aware that sustaining these gains will require ongoing investment, transparency, and responsiveness to emerging needs, the administration has promised to consistently keep up to its promise of claiming the top spot both locally and globally. The groundwork has been laid not just in slogans or in papers, but in classrooms, schools, and systems that connect governance that works for its own people.