The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) yesterday said Kwara remains one of the states expeditiously deploying its grants meant for the development of basic education.

Stressing that the organisation had a bad experience with Kwara State in the past over the utilisation of the matching grants, Deputy Executive Secretary (Services) of UBEC, Dr Isiaka Kolawole, noted that the collaboration between the state government and UBEC was commendable.

A statement by the Press Secretary, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Aminat Atere, said Kolawole spoke shortly after inspecting some of the newly constructed SUBEB schools and the UBEC Model Smart School in Ilorin.

It quoted the commission's official as having said however, that the not so palatable situation changed with the coming of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's administration, noting that the governor has been exemplary in the use of the funds so far accessed for school infrastructure.

“We can see value for money here. The funds are well applied. The outcomes are great. This is what we will actually encourage other states to do. Kwara State is doing very well.

“I have seen things myself and I can give kudos to the chairman and his team,” Kolawole noted. Asked to comment on what the state had missed in the past, Kolawole said that Kwara was one of the most problematic partners before now, noting that all that had changed.

“We know what we went through in managing some states but Kwara State (today) is not one of those states giving us headache except what we had gone through in the hands of Kwara State in the years back. Under this dispensation, the state has been wonderful.

“Kwara has missed a lot. Average Kwara child has also been put at great disadvantage. Now, the pupils stand the chance to receive good standard education delivery.

“There is no way you won't have some states that will be lagging behind in many areas, while some will be in the forefront setting the pace. We have many states doing well too, but definitely some states have performed better whether in the areas of fund utilisation and in accessing the funds,” he explained. Kolawole urged other states of the country to emulate Kwara's latest investments in the education sector.

In his comments, the Chairman, Kwara SUBEB, Prof Raheem Adaramaja, said the board was elated with the positive commendation from UBEC which would spur it to do more for the state.

“No commendation comes to us without hard work. We give glory to God Almighty and we also thank our governor for his leadership. He gave us every opportunity to triumph and we are working towards that. We are happy for that. We are going to improve on what we are doing.

Presently, our presence is felt in all the 193 wards in the state. After the construction we started, we are now putting on digital literacy. This will also be extended to various schools in the state,” Adaramaja said.

He added that the board would from next month begin free distribution of textbooks to pupils on English language, Mathematics, Basic Science as well as Technology and Social Studies, starting with primary four, five and six.

The UBEC team also inspected Burhanudeen LGEA School Ojagboro; Government Day Secondary School, Amule and UBEC Model Smart School Adeta in Ilorin.

The statement added that the government was fixing schools across the state in a bid to make learning environment more conducive and, along with other efforts to improve learning outcomes.