In order to further reduce the level of illiteracy in the state and to blend conventional education with Quranic education, the State has inaugurated the committee for Integrated Quranic Tsangaya Education (IQTE).
Representing the Executive Chairman, Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Femi Majekodunmi, the Director, Social Mobilization, Segun Alade noted that the integration of Quranic based school into a modern based education is long overdue in the state.
Dr Majekodunmi said that it was a thing of joy that this is happening during his tenure. He said it was a call to serve and a clarion call to serve the State. He charged the committee to work assiduously and ensure that they put in their best in order to achieve the aim and objectives of the programme.
The Executive Chairman expressed that Education is the right of every child and no child should be denied of his and her right to basic education. He then enjoined the newly inaugurated committee to come up with ideas, mode of operation on how to kick start and implement the programme successfully in the state.
The UBEC Representative at the inauguration, Mallam Ibrahim Yusuf stated that the reason for the creation of IQTE is to integrate those people that did not have interest in Western Education but have Quranic Knowledge to have basic education knowledge. He stated further that the purpose of the programme is to blend Islamic knowledge with conventional education so that the literacy level in the country would be increased.
Mallam Ibrahim disclosed that the program was an intervention from the Federal Government for Ogun State indigenes who are learning the Quran but lacked Western education, to go back to schools to acquire the basic education. He then charged the Committee members to have regular meetings and come up with fresh ideas that would ensure the success of this programme in the state.
The UBEC representative also informed that a pilot test on the programme has been carried out in Nine States of the Federation, the States were Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina. Others include Kaduna Sokoto, Niger and Oyo. The positive results derived from the pilot test were quite encouraging and as a result of this, the need to implement this programme in all the remaining State of the federation.
In his goodwill message, the State Chairman, School-Based Management Committees (SBMC), Alhaji Juwon Olabode noted that the inauguration of the Committee Members is coming at the right time, because a lot of children that were out of school, would be brought back to school.
The State Technical Coordinator/Consultant, IQTE, Alhaji Sakiru Sowami pledged to work efficiently and come up with ideas that would effectively bring out expected results of the programme. The newly inaugurated State Chairman of IQTE, Alhaji Tajudeen Adewunmi, appreciated the State Government for choosing him as the State Chairman and pledged that the Committee would work tirelessly to ensure that Ogun State ranked the best among the comity of States on the programme.
