Osun Tertiary Institutions Charge Moderate Fees – Adeleke
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has said his administration has ensured that public tertiary institutions in the state charge moderate school fees to enhance access to education for residents.
The governor, in his address at the combined 8th convocation ceremony of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, also called on the management and councils of public tertiary institutions in the state to exercise due diligence in handling Public-Private Partnership agreements.
Adeleke, whose speech was read by his deputy, Kola Adewusi, said his administration has contributed effectively to the efficient management of public higher education through the provision of funds and close supervision of management and boards.
He added that staff and student welfare in public tertiary institutions has received deserved attention, while equipment for student training and accreditation processes are being provided by the administration.
Highlighting other achievements in the education sector, the governor said: “We have facilitated accreditation of courses offered in all tertiary institutions in the state, while new programmes have been introduced.
“All studios, laboratories, and workshops have been stocked with state-of-the-art equipment, which I did to ensure that the accreditations were granted.
“We have ensured that the school fees of our schools are moderate and not unnecessarily bloated. The National Association of Nigerian Students were recently given brand-new 14-seater buses for their operations.
“Just two weeks ago, about two thousand teachers were employed for both primary and secondary schools in the state.”
Commending the Rector, Mr. Kehinde Alabi, on successfully hosting his maiden convocation as the head of the polytechnic, Adeleke reiterated his earlier admonition for due process and compliance with state laws in the initiation and implementation of PPP across tertiary institutions.
“First, the management and governing councils must be aware of and comply at all times with the establishment laws of each institution. A breach will not be tolerated.
“Secondly, the management and governing councils should strictly observe the threshold approval limits in projects and PPP applications. Key PPP projects above the threshold limit should be referred to the ministerial board and finally, the Visitor, for approval.
“Additionally, loan applications beyond the threshold should be duly referred to the ministerial board and the Visitor for approval. All PPP projects must also have due diligence conducted on the partners by the relevant agencies, with a certificate of compliance secured before implementation,” the governor said.
He admonished the graduating students to leverage the skills they acquired for the improvement of various sectors of the country’s economy, assuring that his administration would continue to provide an enabling environment for technological advancement and industrial growth.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Alabi, had addressed a press conference to announce activities marking the institution’s eighth convocation ceremony, where he called for the establishment of more polytechnics across the country to accelerate national development.
Alabi, who said the 8th convocation ceremony will cover graduates from the 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 academic sessions, emphasised that polytechnic education equips students with practical and technical skills essential for industrial growth.
