IBADAN – Public schools in Oyo state have received the sum of #526 million as running costs from the state government.
The governor, Engr Seyi Makinde approved the release of the sum as running costs for public schools for the first term of the 2019/2020 academic session.
According to a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, on Monday, the approval will see the sum of N126 million spread across its 2,500 primary schools and N400 million for about 640 secondary schools.
Stating that principals of secondary schools and heads of primary schools across the state had earlier been mandated to open specific accounts to receive the running grants, the statement, held that all schools, except those who failed to supply the required account details on time, should have now been credited.
“The Governor of Oyo State has approved the disbursement of school running costs to primary and secondary schools.
“As we speak, all the schools should have been credited except those who failed to supply the required account details on time.
“Whereas the Ministry of Education is managing the disbursements to secondary schools, the State Universal Basic Education Commission(SUBEB) is handling the disbursement to primary schools.
“We want to charge all stakeholders in the school system to judiciously apply the funds. They should also take note of the fact that the government will demand accountability on every kobo released to the schools.
“On no account should any school administrator join forces with unscrupulous elements who are seeking to derail the free education policy, which the government of the day in Oyo State is diligently implementing.
“The government will deal decisively with anyone caught attempting to derail the free and qualitative education policy or extorting students under whatever guise.
“The release of the funds is a fulfillment of Governor Seyi Makinde’s free education policy, which is already yielding positive results across the state.
“With the number of students in the secondary schools put at 400,000 and at N1,000 per child, the state would be spending the sum of N400 million a term on the secondary schools. The final figure for secondary schools would terminate at N1.2 billion per session,” the statement read.
