Governments and other stakeholders in the society have been
urged to invest more on education, as it remains the only way to end entrenched
poverty in any society.
Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, who made the call
while speaking at the 8th Convocation ceremony of Wesley University, Ondo, said
that education remains the surest way of breaking the chains of poverty.
The Governor, who was represented by his Executive Assistant
(Administration), Revd. Idowu Ogedengbe, said that investing in education would
lead to accelerated development.
Makinde was the special guest of honour at the 8th
Convocation Ceremony of the Wesley University, where he spoke on the topic
“investing in education for accelerated development.”
A statement signed by the Special Assistant (Print Media) to
the Governor, Moses Alao, quoted him as saying that it has become imperative to
invest more on education, because it is essential in the development of a
skilled workforce for the future and accelerating economic growth and
development.
Governor Makinde explained that with a more educated
workforce, there would be increased human capital development, which in turn
would enhance the prospects for better wages and more disposable income for
consumer spending.
He said: “Investing in education is essential to developing
a skilled workforce for the future and accelerating economic growth and
development.
“Entrenched poverty in any society often limit access to
education and ultimately leads to an unending circle of poverty. This is why
the government and other stakeholders in the private sector must provide the
necessary resources to enhance qualitative education.
“Invariably, a more educated workforce leads to increased
human capital development thus enhancing the prospects for better wages and
more disposable income for consumer spending.”
The Governor maintained that Oyo State, under his
leadership, has already taken up that challenge to invest more on education by
alloting 22.3 percent of the state's 2020 budget to education.
According to him, the decision underpinned the Government’s
commitment to exploring education to break the poverty barrier and empower the
people for a lifetime.
Governor Makinde pointed out that though the Government’s
free qualitative education policy, provision of free textbooks and notebooks,
provision of virtual textbooks for download, and the recent allocation of 22.37
per cent to education in the 2020, were positive investments, it was still
facing challenges in the area of teacher recruitment, training and workforce
development.
He called on the higher institutions of learning to
concentrate more efforts on producing more graduates in the teaching profession,
saying: “However, we are having challenges with teacher recruitment, training,
and workforce development and would appreciate the support of our higher
institutions of learning towards producing more graduates who will pursue the
teaching profession as their career of first choice and not those who only find
themselves in the teaching profession just to make ends meet. Our desire is to
achieve the UNESCO recommendation of one teacher to thirty-five pupils, 1:35, in
the not too distant future.”
Governor Makinde commended the strides already achieved by
the Wesley University, noting that the 8th convocation ceremony bore a great
testament to the invaluable contributions the University had been making
towards the development of skilled manpower for the various sectors of the
Nigerian economy.
He added that the university community remained a critical
stakeholder in the society, which must be seen to be actively engaging and
working together with the government, as there is a compelling need for the
gown to consistently collaborate with the town for development to take place.
He said: “No doubt the university community is a critical
stakeholder in our society and must be seen to be actively engaging and working
together with the government. In this regard, there is a compelling need for
the gown to consistently collaborate with the town.
“Let me use the opportunity of this 8th Convocation Ceremony
to commend the enviable strides that have been made by the Wesley University
Ondo as one of the leading faith-based university of excellence in Nigeria.
What we are witnessing today clearly attests to the invaluable contributions
that you are making towards the development of skilled manpower for the various
sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“May I also use this opportunity to challenge the
authorities in this great citadel of learning to consistently build the content
of your curriculum to mirror the changing realities in the global community in
such a way that graduates have appropriate practical skills in their chosen
field.
“Considering the limited opportunities for white collar
jobs, what we critically need today is the nurturing of entrepreneurial skills
among our youths, particularly those graduating from our universities.”
The Governor congratulated the graduating students,
encouraging them to go into the society with a vision to make a difference.
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