Governor Mimiko was speaking at the Diamond Jubilee of his Alma Mater, Gboluji Anglican Grammar School, Ile-Oluji, where he said that what his administration met on ground when it came on board was a complete dilapidation of education structure which had given room for the private schools to thrive in the state at the expense of the poor parents.
He said his administration had no alternative than to embark on a rescue mission, hence its resolve to commence the building of Mega Primary Schools as part of efforts to encourage pupils and parents to start patronizing public schools in the state.
Mimiko said; "Our findings pointed to the urgent need to address the decaying primary and secondary school level to which we are responding with the Mega School Concept through which qualitative and inclusive access to learning is being provided across the state."
The Governor expressed the belief that in a little while, the products of the Mega Schools would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their peers from anywhere in the world and prove their mettle.
He said that private schools had taken the advantage of the less fancy public schools to place high school fees on the pupils, the situation which had made education difficult for the children of the less privileged in the state.
While saying that school fees being charged at the tertiary institutions in Ondo State are almost the cheapest in the country, Mimiko explained that the acute reduction in the school fees was a deliberate attempt to woo back parents and pupils to re-embrace education, as education is believed to be the bedrock of the nation's development.
Governor Mimiko commended the old students of Gboluji Grammar School for their efforts at bringing back the old glory of the school, saying that this is in line with the philosophy of his administration that stakeholders should not leave education for government alone.
Being one of the first generation schools in Ondo State, The Governor disclosed that his administration has a comprehensive package for these set of schools, adding that Gboluji Grammar School would definitely have its own share of the package.
He assured that his administration's revolution in the education sector which started with payment of outstanding pension arrears to retired teachers in the state `when this administration first came on board' will continue unabated, reiterating the resolve of his government to continue to build Mega Primary Schools in the eighteen local government areas of the state until all the old classroom structures are completely phased out.
In his remarks at the occasion, the State Commissioner for Education, Architect Jide Adejuyigbe, called on Non Governmental Organizations in the state to collaborate with the Ondo State Government to move education forward in the interest of all.
The highlight of the occasion was the presentation of Awards to four outstanding old students of the school who had excelled in their endeavour.
Governor Olusegun Mimiko received the Award of the first ex-student of the school to become a Governor of a state.
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