Don urges Tinubu to invest heavily in education, pay lecturers’ eight months’ outstanding salaries

.As Mount Olivet Grammar School emerges winner of KDU -I competition

The Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, KolaDaisi University, Ibadan ( KDU-I), Prof. Olajumoke Morenikeji, has called on the incoming administration under the leadership of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invest heavily in education, prioritize welfare of lecturers and pay the eight month outstanding salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Nigeria (ASUU) members.

Professor Morenikeji also urged the Tinubu government to increase allocation to education, saying education must be given attention.

The professor made the call during the second edition of the science exhibition and quiz competition for secondary schools in Oyo State organized by the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the Kola Daisi University, Ibadan (KDU-I).

Mount Olivet Grammar school , Bodija, Ibadan emerged winner in the competition in which 21 public and private secondary schools participated had Deeper Life High School, Ibadan and Lariken International College, Ologuneru,Ibadan clinching second and third positions respectively.

The quiz competition and science exhibition, organized by the private institution is an opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge and skills in a variety of Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, to learn from each other and build relationships with other students who share their passion for science and technology.

The competition supported by New Horizons Systems, gave scholarships to six students who participated, United Bank for Africa(UBA) gave out gifts to three secondary schools as well as account opening while the university has a scholarship package for the students, Faith Promise and Razaq Sulaimon of Mount Olivet Grammar School who came first in the quiz competition.

The don emphasized the importance of education in attaining development said the event provides an avenue to encourage and nurture young students in the appropriate career path in preparing them for the emerging civilisation which the global future holds.

The dean stated that the exhibitions were evidence that the university’s curriculum is designed for practical applications to prepare students for the future and make them fit into industry upon graduation.

She said:”The incoming government must focus on education. A country without a good education is as good as nothing. If we don’t have educated children, then the future is bleak. Education is the bedrock of the society. The government must make sure they invest heavily in the education of the children and students because they are the future of the society. Without education , the future is bleak.

Also, incoming must look at the welfare of lecturers is very important. You know the government is still owing lecturers about eight month salaries. The incoming govt must do something about the plight of lecturers. That is absolutely ridiculous. The government must do something about that. There must be robust allocation to the educational sector”.

Also speaking, Adeniyi Olatubosun (SAN), a Professor and Vice Chancellor of KDU-I who spoke at the event emphasized that education remains the bedrock of any nation’s development saying that “no country can become industrialized without science and technology.

“So, that is why ,we need to start from the foundation ,which is why the science exhibition and quiz competition is focusing on youths in the secondary schools because this will form the foundation for building up scientists and technologists that can drive the nation’s system.

Olatunbosun stated that Japan did the same thing between 1951 and 1953 by focusing on science promotion, saying that after 20 years ,Japan became one of the industrialized nations in the world.

According to him, I believe the Nigerian government is also aspiring towards that by ensuring that 60 percent of students admitted into higher institutions are for science oriented courses,that is the position of national policy on education now.

“We also in KolaDaisi University, are enforcing that by giving preference to those doing science subjects, because that can actually bring the nation to advance in knowledge, skills and development”.

The VC however said the quiz would showcase the knowledge acquired by the students at their various schools and promote their aspirations to become great scientists in Nigeria and abroad.

Olawale Adetu, registrar of the institution in a remark said the essence of the competition was to increase academic culture of reading, learning, competition, self-confidence and comportment among pupils.

“This programme will facilitate academic and social networking among secondary school students as well as healthy and friendly interactions across schools , thereby building very strong social assets and values that are capable of bringing them into global prominence in life”.