University students have backed the new Ogun State Education and Skills Trust Fund Law, describing it as a step towards sustainable funding for education, skills acquisition and human capital development in the state.
The National Association of University Students, in a statement signed by its National President, Dr Meshach Nwankwo, commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for assenting to the legislation and the Ogun State House of Assembly for passing the bill.
Abiodun signed the legislation into law on Friday following its passage by the state legislature.
Speaking shortly after the signing ceremony at the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Oludaisi Elemide, said the law would strengthen the delivery of quality education and improve outcomes across the state’s education system.
Elemide said the legislation was designed to make education “more meaningful, more qualitative and more constructive”, adding that it followed consultations with members of the public and other stakeholders.
Nwankwo said the law had created “a legal framework for sustained investment in education and skills development” and could help address funding gaps in the sector.
He said, “The passage and assent to this law represent an important step towards building a more sustainable financing structure for education in Ogun State.”
The association said the fund could provide an additional source of financing for education outside conventional annual budgetary allocations.
Nwankwo said the framework could support “educational infrastructure, maintenance, bursaries, teacher development, vocational training, apprenticeship programmes and other initiatives targeted at improving human capital development.”
However, NAUS said the importance of the law would ultimately be measured by the changes it brought to classrooms, campuses, laboratories and training centres.
The association’s president said the fund should not become another government initiative whose benefits remained on paper, stressing that students should be able to see its impact in their daily educational experience.
“The real value of this law will depend on effective, transparent and accountable implementation.
“A properly implemented Education and Skills Trust Fund can help bridge the gap between education and employability,” Nwankwo said.
The association added that the fund could also “strengthen learning environments and create stronger pathways from the classroom to the world of work.”
