- Trains 73 Schools On Livestock, Snailery, Crop Farming
Dele Olaosebikan
THE Oyo State government has reiterated its policy thrust of developing sports at the primary school level, saying its pupils will soon dominate sporting events at the national level.
The Coordinating Director, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Jacob Dairo made this known during the distribution of sporting equipment donated by the Oyo State government, in collaboration with Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to 82 primary schools held at the Board’s headquarters, earlier today (Tuesday 15th August).
Mr Dairo said that the Board is not only poised to restore the state’s leading position in primary school sporting activities but to take school sports to an enviable height in Nigeria.
He revealed that benefitting schools got sporting equipment such as Handball goalposts and nets, skipping ropes, table-tennis bats and nets, handballs, Badminton rackets and other equipment distributed to schools in the three senatorial districts of the state.
Dairo, who heads the Board’s Schools Services Department, said the Board got delivery of sporting items courtesy of Governor Seyi Makinde and that the essence of the occasion was to officially flag off the distribution of the items to the various beneficiary schools in the state.
He said the state government intends to catch them young with the facilities, adding that the items will enable pupils to participate actively in sports.
The Coordinating Director said the Oyo State government will organise a sporting competition among schools at local and zonal levels, while the overall winner will represent the state in national competitions.
Mr Dairo, therefore, charged the beneficiary schools to take care of the items delivered to them, urging them to make proper use of the equipment for the purpose for which it is meant.
The Coordinating Director added that the governor had earlier approved the commencement of the Agricultural Education Training programme for 73 primary schools.
He said the programme will train Education Secretaries, Head of Section, Schools Services of each local government, Head Teachers, Agricultural Studies Teachers, and School Based Management Committee (SBMC) representatives from different local governments.
Mr Dairo said the state government has approved funding of the agricultural training programme in the 33 local government areas of the state.
Dairo said the trainees in turn will train pupils on crop farming, snailery, and livestock farming.
Mr Dairo said that a monitoring team will go round the schools to ensure that funds allocated for the training programme are properly utilized.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Oyo State Chapter, Comrade Raji Oladimeji applauded the initiatives put in place by the state government for pupils.
The NUT Chairman said sporting activities are almost moribund in most schools due to the topography of the land.
He, therefore, said the development will resuscitate the almost-moribund sporting activities in most public primary schools.
Also, the Chairman, Association of Primary School Headteachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), Oyo State branch, Comrade Adedeji Adekunle, appealed to the trainees to pay full attention to the teachings.
Mr Adekunle also applauded Governor Makinde for his unwavering support of wholesome basic education in the state, saying the agricultural training programme will put basic education in the state on a leading path, among its contemporaries.
The Zonal Chairman, School-based management committee, Egbeda Local Government, Deacon Adegbite Omoniyi said the agricultural training will encourage young ones to participate in agriculture.
He said the SBMC and other stakeholders are committed to the new project, which will accelerate agricultural development in schools.
Eighteen-Eleven Media