“You will recall that when I was sworn in as Governor in November 2010, the schools were in shambles. Hardly any school in the state had facilities of any kind. We then called for an education summit, attended by great educationists and intellectuals of all persuasions.
Professor Wole Soyinka, our own Nobel Laureate, made time out to personally attend. The summit recommended a complete overhaul of our education system.
The most important conclusion of the summit was the restructuring of the system into three basic categories, Elementary, Middle and High schools. Grades 1–4 are the elementary school, Grades 5–9 are the middle school, while grades 10–12 are the high school.
In the high school, we focus on preparing the children for both internal and external examinations. Our plan is to build 20 new high schools, 50 middle schools and 100 elementary schools. Each of these schools will be equipped to state-of–the-art standards, especially with digital learning aids, electronic boards, functional and contemporary laboratory equipment, sports facilities, clean water and large power generators etc.
The only way to provide these facilities at affordable costs is to merge small poorly equipped schools into larger schools where all the facilities can be provided to large numbers of students using economy of scale to maximum advantage. This is what we have done.
Sometimes, this policy has been misunderstood and some have tried to mis-characterise the reforms as having a religious undertone. This is most unfortunate,wicked and untrue.
The philosophy of our education policy has been the development of a new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of society and views his own development as part of and for the development of society.
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This is a non-parasitic and non-oppressive man, who views his existence in the context of the growth of others; he views whatever he acquires to be subsumed in the overall interest of others. He is a man in himself and a man for society.
Let me say categorically that I, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, will never use the trust and mandate of ALL Osun people, who are of all religions and beliefs, to advance the cause of one religion over another.”
