The recently released NECO examination results which proclaimed Ekiti state with the best result for 2016 with 96.31% success has left people of Ekiti in the most celebratory mode. Especially governor Fayose who can now be found boasting all over virtual space.

The Commissioner of Education, Jide Egunjobi, is quoted to have said the state will be celebrating “in grand style” after attributing the success to very painful yet brilliant measures by the Fayose-led administration to improve the Education sector in the state.

He said that the emergency Education Summit convened by the present administration in the state shortly after inauguration revealed that payment of examination fees by past administrations was part of the indulgences responsible for past failures and that since the policy has been reverted and parents have been made to pay for these examinations it has put the onus of the students to be more responsible for their results.

But that’s not the end.

The previous dispensation has also come forward to take the glory. Mr. Taiwo Olatunbosun, APC publicity secretary in Ekiti is attributing the success recorded to the brilliant policies by the previous government. According to him, the former governor, Fayemi gave a laptop per child that exposed them to study online and eradicated ‘miracle centres’ while providing incentive to teachers, including renovation of schools to enhance good learning environment, and also approved special allowances for core subjects and rural postings for teachers.

“Fayemi’s giant strides in education made Ekiti one of the three states in the federation that benefited from the World Bank’s $50m State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP).

“He renovated 183 secondary schools and 836 primary schools and provided other incentives, including establishment of remedial colleges to cater for out-of-school students in the 16 local governments, which made the state to record 52% credit pass in English and Maths in 2013 while the state also won many firsts in various quiz competitions in the same year, topping it with a student from Ikere High School, who won the best male student in WAEC”.

Mr. Olatunbosun concluded that the current success did not happen overnight but the result of long planning by Fayemi between 2011 and 2014. He explained that Fayemi called an education submit to develop a roadmap for quality education, which the former governor implemented to the letter, saying the foundation laid by the administration created environment for learning as never before, resulting in the latest incredible performance by the students.

Commissioner of Education Egunjobi however maintains that discipline incurred from suffering to pay examination and tuition fees by parents were enough to make any student an A candidate.

Since Nigeria has become a country where we feel the need hijack the glory of students who perform as they should in examinations, we have to now determine who to thank. Former governor Fayemi or governor Fayose?

Maybe when we figure this out, someone from either camp will finally praise the students for their performance (despite or because of the governmental policies).

Roqeebah

Creative mind. Enthusiast. Learner. Multipotentialite. And here, an assistant editor.