The Osun State government has raised concerns over the rapid deterioration of 11 mega schools constructed at a cost of N16.5 billion under the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, warning that the decline in infrastructure has contributed to a growing number of out-of-school children in the state.
The schools, built with modern designs and facilities, were originally intended to curb the menace of out-of-school children and make education more attractive. However, less than eight years after their inauguration, many of the structures are reportedly nearing collapse and will require significant funds for renovation.
Speaking during the World Day Against Child Labour event, Osun State Commissioner for Education, Adedipo Eluwole, lamented the poor state of the mega schools and criticised the decisions made under previous administrations regarding educational infrastructure.
“There are a lot of problems to correct from the past administrations. It is not a small deal. The past government made terrible mistakes. They continued building mega schools and merging them, which are giving us problems now. It is impossible to maintain those schools. The money to maintain one school is enough to take care of all the schools in a local government area,” he said.
Eluwole revealed that the mega school in Ayedaade is “almost collapsing,” and an assessment conducted by the state returned an estimated N480 million renovation cost.
“All these small classrooms of three blocks, we can use N12 million to renovate them. You can imagine how many classrooms that type of money (N480 million) can save. It is a problem for us. This is what contributed to out-of-school children in Osun State,” he added.
He explained that the policy of merging schools forced pupils to travel long distances, which discouraged parents and ultimately kept children out of school.
“When they (past administrations) merged schools, pupils from Owode were asked to go to Fakunle at the stadium; so, this discouraged the parents, and they made their children sit at home. This is why Osun was the home of out-of-school children,” Eluwole noted.
Despite these challenges, Eluwole said the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke has introduced several initiatives aimed at reversing the trend. These efforts, he stated, led to the enrolment of about 11,000 children in schools last year.
The Commissioner reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring accessible and quality education, noting that schools are now being built closer to communities to eliminate the barriers of distance and encourage higher enrolment.
