Ekiti spent N4.5 billion to boost school enrolment, says Fayemi

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has said the state government has invested a staggering N4.5 billion to shore up school enrolment in the last eleven months.

The governor lamented that the state, which was ranked first on school enrolment ladder, had slumped due to the N1000 per term tax policy introduced by the immediate past administration.

He said the education policy forced some poor parents to keep their children of school age at home, thereby increasing the number of out-of-school children in Ekiti State.

Fayemi, who spoke at the Holy Trinity Primary School in Ilawe-Ekiti yesterday while flagging off enrolment of pupils for 2019/2020 academic session, said that in view of the fact that the state ranked last among the six South-West states in school enrolment in 2018, propelled him to make several intervention moves to tackle the out-of-school syndrome.

Fayemi said his government would not hesitate to enforce the child’s rights law and UBEC law to ensure that pupils have access to basic education.

Meanwhile, the state government yesterday returned Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, to its original owner, the Anglican Communion, in fulfillment of the government’s pledge to return all mission schools to their original owners.

Fayemi, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) returning the school to the Anglican Communion, said the handing over of Christ’s School would provide a template for subsequent release of other schools whose owners have indicated interest in having them back.

In his remarks, Bishop of Ekiti Anglican Diocese, Rt. Revd. Christopher Omotunde commended the governor for making good his promise to return mission schools to original owners.