EKSG Enhances Education Through Rehabilitation of Infrastructure and Conditional Cash Transfers

The Ekiti State Government has taken significant steps to enhance education by renovating over 1,000 dilapidated classrooms and constructing 30 new ones in public secondary schools. This initiative is part of the World Bank-assisted Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme. Mrs. Yewande Adesua, the AGILE Project Coordinator, shared these achievements during the recent Ekiti Loni/Ekiti Today radio programme.

Additionally, the programme has facilitated the sinking of 59 boreholes, the construction of 613 toilets, and the erection of 31 perimeter fences in public secondary schools across the state. Digital facilities have also been upgraded with the provision of 60 smart boards, 2,600 laptops, 75 photocopiers, 139 solar inverter systems, 76 printers, and internet facilities in 203 schools.

The AGILE programme has further supported 2,808 indigent students with conditional cash transfers ranging from N20,000 to N25,000, provided the students maintain 70% school attendance. Mrs. Adesua emphasized the critical role of School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) in managing these rehabilitation projects and promoting community ownership.

She also announced the upcoming launch of the Ekiti State Girls Finishing School, a second-chance education program for students who were unable to complete their education due to socio-economic or sociocultural challenges such as early marriage, pregnancy, gender-based violence, and poverty.

In her concluding remarks, Mrs. Adesua assured listeners of the Ekiti State Government’s unwavering commitment to enhancing educational infrastructure, supporting indigent students, and fostering community involvement in school management.