Ondo State Government has called on the stakeholders in the education sector to always organise programmes for secondary school pupils, in a bid to broaden their knowledge in the democratic process.
The government said there was a need for the school children to be acquainted with governance and legislative procedures to enable them to engage in meaningful discussions, especially on issues that bother democratic and legislative procedures as they affect their communities.
The Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Folasade Adegoke, stated this on Thursday, in Akure, while speaking at the second edition of the quiz competition organised for public and some private secondary schools in the state.
Represented by the Deputy Director in the ministry, Mrs Modupe Onukun, the PS said the quiz competition was aimed at providing continued education on the legislature broadening the knowledge of the students and youths on the history, practice and procedure of the legislature and encouraging deeper understanding of civic and democratic governance.
Adegoke maintained that democratic participation remains the fundamental pillar of good governance, hence the need for the young ones to get acquainted with the process and procedure as early as possible.
She said, “Since democracy is rooted in the principle of participation and informed decision-making, the citizens need to be knowledgeable about their rights and procedure of governance to enable them to make informed decisions that can shape the future of the country.
“The competition provides the avenue for the school children to broaden their knowledge on legislative procedures and prepare their minds on democratic governance since they are the future leaders of the country”
The participating schools across the three senatorial districts include: Stella Maris College, Okitipupa and Progress College, Okeigbo, St. John & Mary Unity Secondary School, Owo and Greater Tomorrow International College, Arigidi-Akoko, Model Secondary School, Oba-lle, and Holy Trinity Grammar School, Akure. The participating schools represented the three senatorial districts.