Posted by By Kazeem Ugbodaga on
Governor Babatunde Fashola, this morning, commenced the distribution of 5,925,000 text books to students in public schools.
Governor Babatunde Fashola, this morning, commenced the distribution of 5,925,000 text books to students in public schools.
During the exercise, 1,778,000 books were distributed to primary school pupils, 2,804,000 books to Junior Secondary School students and 1,343,000 books to Senior Secondary School students.
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The distribution of the free textbooks, in core subjects, is under the first phase of the book programme by the state government.
Speaking at the launch of the free textbooks today, in Lagos, Fashola said there could obviously be no meaningful education without text books.
'I recollect that as a child, I had access to all recommended text books at nursery, primary and secondary school levels. This contributed in no small measure to our worthy intellectual development.
'Our intention is to provide every facility to assist teachers and students who are the major stakeholders of our education sector. 'This initiative of free supply of textbooks will thus complement the ongoing extensive rehabilitation of infrastructure as well as intensive training and retraining of teachers in our public schools.'
According to Fashola, 'the impact will most certainly be a marked improvement in both the quality of education and enrolment level in these schools.
'For us, substantial investment in education is one of the necessary and indispensable conditions for the successful transformation and sustenance of Lagos as Africa's model mega-city.'
Fashola said his administration would not relent in investing in quality education for the children who own the future and 'on whom we will depend in old age.' The governor appealed to individuals and corporate bodies to pay their taxes so that the state could do more in providing infrastructure.
He urged them to partner with the state government in upgrading educational facilities and standards in schools of their choice.
'This collaboration, which is in accord with Goal Eight of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), is crucial to the revitalisation of our education sector, the building block of our growth and development.
'If each of us adopts just one school by addressing its pressing problems, we can imagine what huge impact will be made in hundreds of states in the collective interest of society,' he added.
Deputy governor of the state, Princess Sarah Sosan, said the initiative to supply textbooks in core subjects free to all public school children was informed by the state's discovery that many pupils in the state's schools do not have the recommended textbooks in core subjects like English, Mathematics and the sciences.
'In line with our commitment to the education of our future leaders and in keeping with the Universal Basic Education policy of free and compulsory education for all children of school age, the state's education sector has placed 106,538 pupils in its public, model and upgraded junior secondary schools,' she disclosed.
Meanwhile, the state is set to pay the Federal Government N9.6 billion towards meeting the national emergency needs in the power sector.
The Federal Government is seeking all tiers of government in the country to contribute funds totalling N634.3billion ($5.4 billion) from the excess crude account for the purpose of solving the power sector crisis.
The N9.6 billion is the state and local government's share of the total amount. The Lagos State House of Assembly had on Monday, during its proceedings, authorised the governor to pay the N9.6 billion to the Federal Government from the excess crude oil fund.
The governor had written a letter to the Assembly requesting the House to approve the payment to the Federal Government. On Monday, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, moved a motion seeking the House to approve the payment to the Federal Government.
'This House resolves that in view of the importance attached to the said fund, this House hereby empowers the state government to appropriate the funds as requested,' he said.
He, however, flayed state governments for agreeing with the Federal Government's request to pay the money at the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting of June, 2008.
According to Taiwo, 'state governments should not have agreed to pay the money. We all know that so much money has been spent on the power sector with no results.
'The governors failed to realise that they only have power to spend money appropriated to them by the Houses of Assembly.'
Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon. Adeola Olamilekan, said, giving the Federal Government the money meant condoning illegality as the excess crude account, in the first instance, was illegal.
He wondered what happened to the investigation on the billions of dollars meant for reviving the power sector that was squandered by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.