In Oyo State, the Better Education Service for All (BESDA) targeted centers are being verified by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The Executive Chairman of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, stated this on Wednesday at the flag-off of a 5-day training of NBS Enumerators in Ibadan.
Dr Adeniran noted that the Board will work with NBS to guarantee a smooth exercise in the State.
In order to ensure the enumerators have unrestricted access to the 21 BESDA focus Local Government Areas in the State, Adeniran said his office would work in collaboration with the office of the Statistician General of the State. He added that this would help the government achieve its goal of ending the out-of-school children menace in the State.
“We assure the NBS management that the State Government, through the Board will accord the verification agents all the necessary support and information they may require”, he said.
In order to facilitate the verification effort, Adeniran stated that the State Government will make sure students in the impacted BESDA focus-schools remain in attendance notwithstanding the vacations.
“BESDA is a programme-for-result, funded by the World Bank to support increase in access to basic education by raising equitable access for Out-Of-School Children (OOSC), improve literacy and strengthen accountability for results in basic education in Nigeria. We are determined to make it work in Oyo State”, Adeniran said.
At order to confirm the veracity of the records held by the implementing schools, Adeniran stated that the State is prepared for NBS visitation in the chosen schools located throughout the state.
The Board will also offer information for the evaluation of four Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs), for which the state will receive credit, he continued.
“We welcome the NBS team and its Enumerators. This particular exercise, which is the second Phase, would be conducted in the 21 BESDA focus LGAs in our State”, he said.
In his earlier remarks, Mr. Bayo Okunuga, the South-West Zonal Controller for NBS, made a suggestion that the trained enumerators, also known as NBS verification agents, would be sent out to various local governments to gather data.
He expressed his gratitude to the Oyo State Government for its dedication to making the State’s BESDA and NBS verification successful.
Mr. Adekunle Teslim Adejuwon, the Oyo State Statistician General, Mrs. Abosede Owoeye, the Coordinating Director of OYOSUBEB, and other members of the Board’s executive team were also present.
