Ekiti APC Claims Credit For State’s Improved Neco performance

THE All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has expressed pleasure over the latest National Examinations Council results placing the state on top of other states in performance.

The APC attributed the feat to sound the education policy of the former Governor Kayode Fayemi, which provided incentives for good learning environment and provision of educational items that enhanced learning among the students.

It said the explanation became imperative as Governor Ayo Fayose was wont to claiming unmerited credits for Fayemi’s achievements.

The APC cited the 2014 budget by Fayemi that was adjudged the most effective and transparent in Nigeria by an organisation, but which Fayose celebrated as his achievement.

The National Examination Council on Friday released the results of the Senior School Certificate Examination it conducted in and outside the country between June and July this year, with Ekiti State having the best performance with 96.48 per cent, followed by Edo State, which came second with 96.31 per cent.

Reacting to the state’s performance, the APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the feat was attributable to the education policy instituted by Fayemi that put life into educational administration and management in the state.

He explained that Fayemi called an education summit to develop a roadmap for quality education, which the former governor implemented to the letter.

He said the foundation laid by the administration created the environment for learning as never before, resulting in the latest incredible performance by the students.

He also noted that the current success did not happen overnight but the result of long planning by Fayemi between 2011 and 2014.

Listing the incentives instituted by the former governor that had brought about the latest performance, Olatunbosun explained.

The statement added: “Fayemi gave a laptop per child that exposed them to study online and eradicated miracle centres while providing incentive to teachers, including renovation of schools to enhance good learning environment, and also approved special allowances for core subjects and rural postings for teachers.

“Fayemi’s giant strides in education made Ekiti one of the three states in the federation that benefitted from  the World Bank’s $50 million State Education Programme Investment Project.

“He renovated 183 secondary schools and 836 primary schools and provided other incentives, including establishment of remedial colleges to cater for out-of-school students in the 16 local governments, which made the state to record 52 per cent credit pass in English and Maths in 2013 while the state also won many firsts in various quiz competitions in the same year, topping it with a student from Ikere High School who won the best male student in WAEC.”

Olatunbosun regretted that while Fayemi introduced and sustained compulsory free education at primary and secondary education levels, Fayose had cancelled the policy, making pupils to pay taxes per term and teachers remained unpaid for seven months.

Olatunbosun said this also led to teachers’ strike that kept the students out of school for months, adding that this could not have resulted in this successful outing.

He said: “Fayemi administration of four years when the successful  students were in Junior secondary school, impacted well on them such that they had a solid educational background which translated into the latest success.

“Between 2011 and 2014, Fayemi was consistently rewarding best hardworking teacher with a brand new car and paid WAEC fees of students ranging from N86m to N140m, which Fayose has also stopped.

“Fayemi’s administration was continuously organising training programmes  for the teachers, while 400 motorcycles were distributed to teachers serving in rural areas, even as he distributed 20,000 sets of lockers and chairs to public schools across the state.

“He delivered books worth N6m to the State Library Board to encourage reading culture among teachers and students and promoted no fewer than 4,000 primary school teachers between 2010 and 2014, including Head Teachers and Deputy Head Teachers, some of whom were demoted by Fayose upon assumption of office.”

The APC spokesman added that teachers benefited from the relativity pay for all categories of workers in the public service and also benefited from the 27.5 per cent Teachers Pecuniary Allowance, while Ekiti was the first in the South West to implement the relativity pay, bringing the minimum wage from N7,500 to N19,300 without owing teachers salaries.

Noting that Fayemi also organised continuous capacity building programmes for teachers and established intensive statewide coaching programme for SSCE/NECO and JAMB candidates‎, Olatunbosun regretted that all the schemes had been cancelled by Fayose, who was also owing teachers six months salary arrears.

http://www.socialtimesng.com/2016/09/ekiti-apc-claims-credit-for-states-improved-neco-performance/