Oyo Govt partner Civil Society, World Bank on Education

 

In its bid to breathe new life into the Oyo State education sector, the Seyi Makinde-led government has partnered with the Oyo state wing of the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) and the World Bank.

The partnership was communicated by the State Coordinator, Dr. Oluwabulola Olatunji and the immediate past State Coordinator of the coalition, Mr. Moshood Folorunsho, who both represented the coalition at a two-day strategic meeting on the project’s implementation and ways to effectively transform education in the state, held from May 4-5, 2021, in Ibadan.

The duo spoke at length of the need for transparency and openness for the set objectives of the project to be achieved. They said: “I believe that only transparency, accountability and real public participation, as well as un-bureaucratic openness, can make GPE2-TESS Project achieve its set objectives and make the desired impact in Oyo State.”

At the meeting, status updates of the application process on the Education Sector Plan Implementation Grant (ESPIG) were shared and state requirements specified by the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) were discussed in detail. Expectations of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Policy Makers’ role in the prompt achievement of Disbursement Linked Results (DLRs) and the disbursement of their Grants were also discussed.

Before the meeting was declared open by the Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, the National Project Coordinator of GPE 2- TESS Project, Dr. Mrs. Folake Olatunji-David had, on behalf of the Minister for Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu welcomed the participants, who were drawn from the three benefitting states – Oyo, Adamawa and Katsina (OAK), to the meeting,.

In her opening remarks, Dr Folake said that the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Education planned to together, transform the education system in Nigeria using the OAK States as pilot States. She also said that other states of the federation will then follow the example set by the states.

She then enjoined the OAK states to be steadfast and set realistic targets during the appraisal meeting that will take place between May 10 and 21, 2021. In her closing remarks, she added that governors of the OAK states had signed an agreement with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to raise the budgetary allocation of the education sector to 20% and implementing the agreement showed commitment and seriousness on the part of the governors.