Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji has restated his administration’s commitment to repositioning the education sector in the state.
The governor said that the repositioning would include the provision of necessary impetus to improve infrastructure and environment in the drive to boost learning outcomes.
Oyebanji spoke in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday while receiving the winner of the National Best Teacher Award, 2023, Mrs Elizabeth Adeyemi, of SUBEB Model Nursery and Primary School, Omuo Ekiti, Ekiti State in his office.
The governor, who also received the Principal of St Louis Grammar School, Ikere Ekiti, who won the first runner-up in the best public school category, Mrs Funmilayo Ibitoye, congratulated the award winners and assured that his government would continue to invest in education with particular emphasis on content, process and learning and teaching environment.
Oyebanji stressed the need to prepare children for the challenges of the 21st century, stressing that infrastructural development remained an important ingredient in the development of the total child.
He said that his administration would continue to pay due attention to the teaching profession to be able to bring the best out of it saying, “It is the only profession that can lift a nation out of the woods as all other professions are an offshoot of the teaching profession”.
He urged the award winners to continue to work hard so as to win more laurels for the state.
“This speaks to our mantra of continuity. This foundation was laid and we are building on it. We discover that human capital development is one of our six pillars and that is why we have a location. I believe strongly that we need to improve learning outcomes and the environment.
“I also believe that the best investment any government can have is to invest in education because it frees you from a lot of things. An educated society is a free society, it’s a game changer”.
Earlier, the best teacher award winner, Adeyemi, who hailed the governor’s strides in the education and human capital sectors, said his deliberate efforts at motivating Ekiti teachers had helped to boost the morale of teachers and students in the state.
She said the best teachers award would spur her to put more effort into ensuring a positive impact in the lives of her pupils, stressing, “I now believe that teachers’ reward is not only in heaven but also on this earth”.
Adeyemi praised the governor for providing conducive learning and teaching environment in the school system, adding that the attention being given to education would achieve greater results for the state.
