The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended the State Government of Osun under the leadership of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, for the recent education reforms in the State, especially the return to the 6-3-3-4 system.

UNICEF Field Officer in Akure Nigeria, Dr.Tushar Rene, in a letter to the state government, congratulated the State for the bold step taken to rejig the education system from 4-5-3-4 to 6-3-3-4.

Dr. Rene also commended the state government for the reintroduction of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) which he described as necessary for remarkable brain development.

In his words, “the commencement of the ECDE in the state is a good development. It is a right, recognised in the Convention of the Rights of a Child, which has been ratified by almost all countries of the world.

“Early childhood is a time of remarkable brain development, and any investment in this area yields very high economic returns, offsetting disadvantage and inequality especially for children from poor families.”

Dr. Rene, pledging the agency’s support for the state government, said that: “UNICEF Nigeria will continue to support State of Osun’s Ministry, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Education.

“In strengthening the state Education Information Management System (EMIS) and installation of UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics Software to facilitate data management for the conduct of annual school census, UNICEF also promised to provide technical support to conduct household survey on out-of-school children, technical support for institutionalisation of schools support officers at LGAs level to monitor and mentor teachers as well as technical support on implementation of Early Childhood Development Education.”

Dr. Rene commended the Governor Oyetola-led administration for its continued implementation of social protection programmes in the State of Osun, stating that “the pace set by the State is not unnoticed within and outside Nigeria”.