The Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), unveiled plans to construct mega schools across the 16 local government areas of the state, equipped with modern learning facilities to enhance education standards.
SUBEB Chairman, Prof. Femi Akinwumi, made the announcement on Thursday in Ado Ekiti, emphasizing that the schools would feature state-of-the-art ICT tools, audio-visual equipment, and specialized laboratories to ensure students are globally competitive.
“The mega schools will be furnished with state-of-the-art Information Communication Technology equipment and ultra-modern audio-visual facilities to make the products of the schools globally competitive,” Akinwumi stated.
He further disclosed that each mega school would have 12 classrooms with a capacity to accommodate at least 400 pupils.
“They will be equipped with science, computer, and Home Economics laboratories, a library, and modern toilet facilities with water and sanitation systems, all secured with a perimeter fence,” he added.
Akinwumi noted that school enrolment figures would play a key role in determining the locations of the new institutions.
As part of efforts to improve the teaching and learning environment, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has approved the payment of over N3.5 billion as counterpart funds for the 2024 UBEC/SUBEB Intervention Funds.
According to Akinwumi, the initiative will sustain the massive government intervention in public schools, which began in 2018 and has remained uninterrupted.
He also assured that funds would be allocated for the continuous maintenance of school infrastructure and the digitization of the basic education sector.
The digitization of school materials, he noted, is currently being implemented in collaboration with development partners at no cost to the state government as part of a pilot program.
Additionally, SUBEB has secured approval for the training of 4,000 teachers in modern teaching methodologies during the ongoing academic session, a significant increase from the 2,700 teachers trained last session.
Akinwumi also highlighted the Oyebanji administration’s efforts to enhance teacher’s welfare, revealing that 505 graduate teachers recruited in 2023 have been upgraded from Grade Level 07 to Grade Level 08 under the newly established Graduate Teachers’ Cadre in public primary schools.
