Ondo-Watch: Aiyedatiwa Should Prioritise Education Quality 

NOW that election campaign promises, shenanigans, and peccadillos are over, it is a time to engage the Governor and Governor-elect of Ondo State on managing distractions from the so-called godfathers who would normally seek jobs for their people who ‘helped’ to secure victory the other day. 

In all modesty, I know our country enough to know how the greed of the elite has crippled the most populous black nation on earth, Nigeria. This may not be a time to talk about how the greed of the elite has also crippled the national electricity grid that is supposed to trigger industrial development. But it is a time to get our leaders at all levels to note that enough is enough of the frivolities and mediocrity they celebrate on live television for self-glorification every day. And so let me appeal to the newly hired Governor of Ondo State not to allow members of his ‘kitchen cabinet’ to impute motives for solution articles at this time. The reason for this seemingly unnecessary appeal is not far-fetched: some of the media aides of political leaders have always had several drafts of how to lambast commentators who even advise their principals on how to set off legacy projects, let alone those who point out what they aren’t doing well. Some of the aides we have watched over the years at all levels have always concocted conspiracy theories about why certain writers and even television anchors should be ignored by their principals. They don’t study the messages; they go for the jugular of the messengers for their “bad verses”. Most times, the perverted public relations officers keep evil files of even the problems they cause and seek ways of benefitting from crises by discrediting anchors and commentators. Political leaders should be aware of these crisis merchants and mediocrities in their public relations space. 

And so, the Governor-elect of Ondo state should pay attention to some inconvenient truths and deliverables here so that he can make some difference in Ondo state at this time. He should concentrate on the message for the public good of the people who have also just hired him for the next four years. This stuff is only a fact file that can assist the Governor in strategic planning for the revival of institutions of governance of Ondo state that has suffered some reverses as a consequence of slipshod governance the state has been experiencing for some years. Mr. Governor, this isn’t an appraisal of your tenure since you took over from your principal who was called home on 27 December, 2023. This new mandate should be a difference maker of some sort without noise making. And so it should begin with strategic thinking and planning that will remarkably affect the health of the state. And here is the thing, let the new mandate reinforce your significance rather than your prominence. How do I mean that? A cleric and an iconic writer I have quoted several times here, Rick Warren argues in his classic, ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ that there are some people in this life who are prominent but they may not be significant. He says at the same time, there are some significant people who may not be prominent after all. He reinforces this point by pointing to the fact that God, the Almighty, is seeking significant, not prominent, people to shape His Kingdom on earth – for the public goods game that leaders play. All over the place, you see most of our even under-achieving leaders spending a lot of money to promote their prominence on the front pages of our news journals and prime-time television programmes without any significant projects that can enhance humanity. You see vanity upon vanity as most leaders celebrate on live television, the building of overhead bridges, and the provision of classroom desks and tables for teachers in dilapidated basic schools to showcase their prominence. 

Mr. Governor, the election is over: it is a time to freeze politics and vengeance. It is a time for serious governance. It is a time to headhunt competent professionals and scholars who understand the technicality of rebuilding the broken walls all over Ondo state. It is a time for you to be a Nehemiah who will not care a hoot about the distractions of the discouragers – Tobiah and Sambalat, who don’t like common-good projects. It is a time to shun partisan politics and visit some states in this same country where some progress has been made without noise in the media. If you do extraordinary things, citizen journalists in the area will post them to the public space for free at this time. Behold, visit states such as Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Ebonyi, Borno, and Enugu, where you will find some exemplary spectacles. Don’t think about party affiliations at this time. It may not have been prominent in the media, but when you get to Akwa Ibom state, which has used the model of public, private partnership (PPP) to run a flourishing airline, you will see the power of how state governments too can reform and run the business as they do in Asia and most parts of the Middle East. I mean, at the time, our Federal Government, which exclusively oversees the Aviation industry and ministry, could only unveil the fake airline (Nigeria Air) they promised for eight years on their last day in office, May 29, 2023, Akwa Ibom state floated Ibom Air within a four-year tenure of a governor. Ibom Air is still running fruitfully to the present, while the Federal Government’s fake airline has become a butt of jokes on dubious public sector enterprises. The state-supported Ibom Air is one of the preferred local airlines in Nigeria despite the inclement business climate in the aviation industry today. Go to Akwa Ibom, where you will see the ongoing construction of a 10-lane road to the airport they had built before they established the airline. 

Governor Aiyedatiwa, go quietly to the aforementioned states and see the difference between significance and prominence that define lega- cy and infamy, development, and underdevelopment. Go to Oyo and see what the State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has done about the revival of the Independent Power Project the regional government of Obafemi Awolowo left, but all former Governors abandoned inside Ibadan. 

Time to prioritise education: 

Mr. Governor, don’t get it twisted, you need to prioritise education quality in Ondo State. The state of public schools at all levels is quite unconscionable and that has resulted in the state’s poor results from national examinations bodies. Part of this tragic situation in basic and secondary schools was captured the other day by Otunba Sola Olatunji who wrote a piece on this debacle before the election campaigns. It isn’t beyond redemption. Mr. Governor, reviving education facilities in Ondo State requires a multi-faceted approach. Here’s a comprehensive plan for your team to consider: 

Infrastructure development 

Conduct a thorough assessment of all education facilities in the state to identify areas of need. Develop a phased plan to renovate and reconstruct schools, focusing on the most critical ones first. Invest in modern educational infrastructure, including smart classrooms, libraries, and laboratories, as the Enugu state government is doing with education management experts in the state. Besides, ensure that all schools have access to basic amenities like electricity, water, and sanitation facilities. 

Teacher training and development 

Provide regular training and capacity-building programmes for teachers to enhance their skills and knowledge. Most of the teachers were drafted to the classrooms from even the Local Government Council Service Commission, etc long ago. There is a need to collaborate with reputable institutions to offer certification programmes in modern teaching techniques for teachers. 

Besides, the state’s education authorities need to encourage teachers to pursue higher education and provide incentives for those who do. 

That is another way of fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development among teachers. You can recruit first-class graduates as teachers and train those that didn’t have teaching certificates. To retrain them, pay them as consultants and specialists. 

Curriculum review and development

This is the 21st century where innovative technologies drive development. It should begin with an education curriculum review. The state should conduct a comprehensive review of the current curriculum to ensure it is relevant and aligned with modern educational standards.

You don’t need to wait for Abuja to develop a new curriculum that incorporates STEM education, vocational training, and life skills. Ensure that the curriculum is inclusive and caters to the needs of students with disabilities.

The state should sing a new song in the education funding mechanism by providing resources and support for teachers to effectively implement the new curriculum.

Technology Integration
For the development goals to be sustainable in education, there should be an investment in digital infrastructure, including computers, tablets, and internet connectivity, to facilitate e-learning. That is the only way we can face tomorrow as citizens, lest we become part of the huge population of the illiterate of the 21st century who can’t learn, unlearn, and relearn, as Alvin Toffler warns.

In the main, the schools should be funded to develop online platforms and resources to support teaching and learning. There should also be provision for training for teachers to effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices. The Education system should encourage the use of educational software and apps to enhance student learning. This is where the authorities should be intentional in employing computer and data science graduates and pay them well to retain them so that they can integrate technology into learning.

Community engagement and partnerships 

There should be a skillset of development experts in the system to foster partnerships with local communities, businesses, and organisations to support education initiatives. In the same vein, the education authorities should establish a mentorship programme that pairs students with professionals and entrepreneurs. There should be constructive engagements to develop a culture of volunteerism and community service among students and teachers.

Funding and resource mobilisation
To make the desired difference Mr. Governor should allocate a significant portion of the state budget to education. Politicians don’t want to do this because they feel it is intangible unlike overhead bridges and water boreholes. There can also be an exploration of alternative funding sources, such as public-private partnerships and international grants. The state government can establish an education endowment fund to support scholarships, research, and infrastructure development. Modern governments in a ‘global’ context encourage philanthropic donations and corporate social responsibility initiatives to support education.

Do we need three universities in Ondo?
There should always be a needs assessment to determine whether the state can cope with three universities that have obviously been underfunded in Akungba, Okitipupa, and Ondo City, in this regard. I was in Akungba by this time last year where I delivered the Convocation lecture of the oldest university. The premier university I saw there still needs robust funding for physical structures and equipment they need to live up to its billing as an ivory tower. The University of Science and Technology in Okitipupa and the University of Medical Sciences in Ondo require strategic funding to restore the ‘universe’ that they may have lost to under-funding. It is time to revisit the feasibility reports on the three universities before it is too late. Do we need more or better universities? Over to you Governor Aiyedatiwa even as we say, congratulations!