No going back on tax collection – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has expressed support for the reintroduction of Teachers Training College as proposed at the Ekiti State Education Summit on Tuesday.

The Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdul-Ganiyu Ambali, made the suggestion in his goodwill message to the summit in Ado Ekiti.

The governor, who reiterated that there was no going back on collection of taxes in the state, said his government would soon convoke a Tax Summit and Landlords Summit.

“We are going to take the issue of taxation serious as no government thrives without it. Private school owners should pay up their dues and levies. Allocations from Abuja cannot be solely relied upon anymore.”

Meanwhile, the Ekiti Students Leaders Forum have protested against their exclusion from the summit, saying they had been marginalised and badly treated while non-relevant bodies had been promoted by the government.

They also complained about the N50,000 acceptance fee at the State College of Health Technology, describing it as the highest anywhere in Nigeria.

Speaking on the Theme: ‘Restoring the lost glory,’ the Chairman of the Summit and the Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Ademola Ajakaye, lamented that students could not construct simple sentences any longer.

“If we are able to get it right at this level, the story would change for the better.”

He urged parents to be part of the change.

The Provost, College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, Prof. Francesca Aladejana, said education should be built on strong moral values and religious knowledge, calling for curriculum review.

In its resolution, the summit agreed that “funding of education is no more government business alone, all stakeholders must take part. It should be cost sharing arrangement.

“Entrepreneurship education be given priority at primary and secondary levels; welfare of teachers be given top priority, parents should intensify monitoring of their children and Ministry of Education officials should monitor teachers.”

It also proposed that continuous assessment tests be combined with terminal tests to determine students’ promotion and advised students to do away with cultism and other vices.