Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Sen. Teslim Folarin, has promised to overhaul the state’s education sector if elected.
Speaking with newsmen in Ibadan on Friday, Folarin decried what he described as the dwindling standard of education in Oyo State and said he would declare a State of Emergency in the sector when he becomes governor.
He promised to convoke an education summit with the assemblage of experts to revamp the sector and restore Oyo State to its pride of place in education.
Folarin recalled his achievements in the education sector as a lawmaker, saying education would remain one of the pivotal stands of his administration, if elected on March 11.
“The state’s education sector is in shambles. It is non-functional with unimpressive low students’ enrolment, poor provision of infrastructure, ineffective quality assurance process and low national rating,’’ he said.
The candidate noted that education is a powerful tool for the advancement of any society and the most potent weapon to fight poverty.
“If elected, our administration shall reposition the sector and ensure the deployment of Education Reformation Strategy (ERS).
“There will be convocation of an education summit, provision of adequate training, motivation of teachers and infrastructural development of schools at all levels,’’ he stressed.
Folarin explained that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) would be the bedrock of the educational sector with the creation of quality assurance agency for better academic performance.
In his manifesto, Folarin stated that state-owned tertiary institutions would be requisitioned as global centres of academic excellence through massive infrastructural development, third-party resource mobilisation and international collaborations.
He also told newsmen that an APC administration in Oyo State would create the enabling environment for effective teaching and learning as well as provision of bursary and scholarships.
He assured of regular payment of subvention or grants to public schools and the eradication of consultancy policy in tertiary education.
As a federal lawmaker, Folarin had facilitated the construction of 88 fully-furnished classrooms, 17 state-of-the-art ICT centres across Oyo Central senatorial district and the University of Ibadan in the past.
He also saw to the construction of blocks of classrooms in Ibadan, Surulere and Oyo, all in Oyo Central senatorial district.
The former Senate Leader and three-term lawmaker is the Asaaju Olubadan of Ibadanland.