Ogun State Gov­ernor, Ibikunle Amosun, has disclosed that the state has spent about N140 billion in the education sec­tor to provide free, qualita­tive and affordable educa­tion in the state
Amosun stated this while receiving members of the Senate Committee on Educa­tion that were on oversight function to the state.
Amosun said government accorded priority to educa­tion and vowed not to relent in its effort at changing the hitherto comatose sector for the benefit of the people.
He acknowledged that the huge amount expended on education was yielding posi­tive result as the enrollment in public schools, which was 390,000 had increased to 511,000, while the teach­ers’ population had increased from 12,000 to 17,000.
“So far, we have spent N70 billion on primary school teachers’ salaries and N50 billion on secondary school teachers’ salaries. The money spent on the conduct of uni­fied examinations, training of teachers and purchase of instructional materials, all these put together was worth N140 billion,” he said.
Amosun said 124 new blocks of classrooms had been constructed and 130 renovated across the three senatorial districts of the state to provide conducive learn­ing environment for students.
The governor said educa­tion had been given the high­est allocation in the yearly budget in the last three years, noting that 23 per cent of of the 2014 Budget was also al­lotted to the sector.
According to him, the technical and vocational edu­cation centres had produced sound and professional craft men who were self-employed and employers of labour, adding that the 15 model schools currently under con­struction out of the 28 pro­posed schools would have a section where students would be taught fine arts and wood work.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, commended the state government for the impressive stand taken in all spheres of education in the state.
“You have laid a good leg­acy in the sector and all other sectors in the state,” he said.
The former minister for Information also advised the state government to increase attention on technical educa­tion, welcome parents and well-meaning individuals in the state as education part­ners and increase funding on education.

Ogun spends N140bn on education