Kwara govt to reconstruct, equip 1,000 schools

Adefioye Iyunade

The Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said that over 1,000 schools would be reconstructed and equipped with modern teaching facilities across the 16 local government areas of the state.

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A statement by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Rafiu Ajakaye, quoted the governor as saying this  at the last lap of the citizens’ engagement via Zoom meeting with the people on the 2021 budget held at Ajase-Ipo.

AbdulRazaq added that the administration had activated plans to gradually fix the school facilities, equip them,  train and motivate teachers to guarantee quality basic education in the state.

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“We have over 1,000 schools, which need to be rebuilt completely. It is not just about renovation because many of classrooms have collapsed. Some do not even have floor, not to talk of furniture.

“So, we will gradually fix these schools and bring them back. There are many lapses, especially in the area of education.

“That is why we intend to access UBEC funds which the state has not accessed since 2013.

“We want to access it to fix some of our schools. The infrastructure deficit is so huge that even the entire UBEC fund cannot fix all our schools,” he added.

However, the State Executive Council had on Friday approved for the state to take a N7.1 billion facility to access another N7.1 billion of the six-year backlog of outstanding UBEC funds, which the state plans to invest in its basic education sector.

Speaking via zoom, the governor said the administration would also invest in training and promotion of teachers, among other incentives, to keep and attract more quality hands.

He commended the people of Kwara South for their self-help approach to development, adding that the administration would not fail in its duty to build infrastructure and rejuvenate the economy.

“The government is aware of the challenges in Kwara South, particularly in the area of access roads for farm produce and trade.

“We will soon commence phased construction of at least 600 kilometers of roads under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) before the end of the year.

“The World Bank assisted programme (RAAMP) is going on, and that should cover about 600 kilometer roads, which should begin by the fourth quarter of this year.

“Many roads have been captured under the programme, including Kwara South,” AbdulRazaq said.

He said the administration has been constructing some roads and rehabilitating health centres in the region, as in elsewhere across the state, and called for more engagement with and support for the government.

“This meeting is to engage you, to know your pains, where you want us to improve in terms of infrastructure: roads, water, healthcare, schools, job creation, and indeed all facets of human endeavours.

“So, we are here to listen to you. Tell us what you want and how you want it done,” he added.

AbdulRazaq said the government has also set up a committee on job creation headed by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi with a mandate to explore more areas the administration can get people engaged in productive activities.