L-R: Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka; Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Ekiti State, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye; Governor Kayode Fayemi; his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; and Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, during the Thanksgiving Mass, commemorating the 2nd Year Anniversary of the Fayemi Administration, in Ado-Ekiti... on Sunday.
Ekiti State indigenes home and abroad have been urged to rally support for the people-oriented policies of the Dr Kayode Fayemi administration in the state in order to encourage him to do more to lift the state.
Making the plea during the thanksgiving service held to commemorate the second year anniversary of the Fayemi administration at the St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, retired Catholic Bishop of Ekiti, Bishop Michael Fagun and the Catholic Bishop Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaiye said the state had witnessed good governance and remarkable progress in the last two years.
Bishop Fagun who gave the charge at the service, commended the efforts of the Governor especially in the education sector; saying that the distribution of laptops computers to students and teachers in public secondary schools as well as the renovation of 100 schools under the operation renovate all schools in Ekiti are laudable projects that have impacted positively on the state.
The clergyman urged all and sundry to support the vision of the Dr. Fayemi-led administration in making the State a pride of all also commended the Social Security benefit Scheme as well as the massive road construction and urban renewal projects of the government describing them as people-oriented programmes.
Bishop Ajakaiye who also urged the citizens to continue to pray for the administration so that the state could continue to witness peace and progress, said the current level of development in the state are pointers to the fact that the state would achieve greatness.
The clergymen spoke just as Governor Fayemi expressed displeasure at the poor performance of public secondary schools in the State in the 2012 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations recently released by West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).
The Governor who spoke with journalists shortly after the church service said the results are unacceptable as they fall short of the standard that Ekiti scholars are known for.
According to Dr. Fayemi who was apparently miffed at the poor performance, only 9 per cent of students in Christ’s School Ado Ekiti which is acclaimed the best public school in the State made five credits including Mathematics and English while the school’s girls’ section had zero percent.
He said it is a well known fact in education that the failure of a majority of students in an examination is traceable to their teachers as all the students cannot be said to be dullards; adding that the failure in Christ’s School makes it doubtless that other schools didn’t perform any better.
The Governor said the failure is far more unacceptable especially given the huge investment of government on schools, teachers and students; stressing that the efforts of government would amount to a waste if their teachers don’t buckle up.
While restating his stance not to compromise the standard by playing politics with the future of students, Fayemi stressed that Ekiti State earned its motto from the dint of hard-work and discipline that had characterized the education sector in the past; saying that Ekiti students must return to the path of glory that the State is renowned for.
“You would recall that the Bishop gave the example of Holy Child Secondary School which is a mission school right here in Ado Ekiti and explained to us how the school has consistently maintained a good performance through the dedication of teachers, the commitment and discipline, the way he as the proprietor had to put his feet down when things appeared to be going awry. I drew the analogy that the school that used to have the kind of result that Holy Child now has, Christ school had nine percent this year that Holy Child has 99.6% in SSCE.”
The Governor said no stone would be left unturned in the quest to revamp the standard of education in the state.
Last modified: October 15, 2012
