Use your PVCs wisely, Fayemi woos Ekiti teachers

Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti has called on teachers in both primary and secondary schools in the state to use their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) positively during Saturday’s elections.

Fayemi, while interacting with representatives of the over 57,000 teachers in the state in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, said the state would benefit more in terms of education by supporting the activities of the Federal Government.

He explained that since he became the governor, development partners and government agencies had been supporting the activities of the state in the education sector.

The governor said the teachers had to think aright because the state cannot afford to play second fiddle in the next political dispensation.

He said he had paid the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) counterpart fund for 2016, 2017 and 2018 to the tune of N3.3 billion.

This, he said, would be expected to bring N6.6 billion to the state for the renovation of some schools and for the provision of pieces of furniture in the public schools.

The governor said the state government was also committed to the recruitment of more teachers in the state for the progress and development of the state.

“The government would, as a matter of necessity, recruit the best hands for the development of the young ones and progress of the state.

“When we distributed laptops in the state during our first term, we did it with good intention, devoid of political coloration, knowing fully well that the world is now internet age.

“In every school, government will put in place a computer laboratory, so that our teachers will know how to teach our young ones to be at par with their counterparts elsewhere and be able to pass public examination convincingly,” he said.

Our correspondent reports that Fayemi promised more regular capacity building efforts for the teachers, explaining that such efforts would result in developing both the teachers and the students.

The governor promised to look into various demands of the teachers, which includes car and housing loans, electronic teaching in Ekiti schools, Grade Level 17 for teachers and leave bonus among others.

He promised to continue to pay the backlog of salary owed by the last administration within one year of his government.

In his goodwill message, Mr Deji Ajayi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, said teachers were critical stakeholders in removing ignorance and poverty in the state.

Ajayi recalled that the governor, in his few months of administration, had improved the education sector in the state through some of his intervention programmes.

It was reported that the associations had through their chairmen listed their various demands bordering on welfare and infrastructural development for all the schools.

They are, Mr Abiodun Omotoso, Chairman, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and Mr Samuel Olugbesan; Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).

Others are, Mr Sola Adigun, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) and Bimbo Ogunyemi, Chairman, Association of Primary School Headteachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON).