History is replete with stories of transformational leaders, who led their people from the bondage of hopelessness to an era of bliss and buoyancy.They pursued their vision with the keen intent of touching all the fundamentals that could enhance development in their generations and generations to come.They saw their being fortunate to be in the saddle of power as an opportunity to serve and put in place phenomenal projects that would make the world a better place to live for their people.Transformational leaders always make the impossibility possible. They built the Eiffel Towers, The Great Wall of China and The Statue of Liberty. They initiate free education and bring to bear what has never been done before.They are rare men of hope who saddled themselves with the onerous task of not just making a mark but also striving to ensure that the less privileged or the so-called poor people are proudly given a sense of belonging in the social matrix.They embark on projects that leverage the gap from the haves and have nots just to ensure the balancing of the law of social stratifications.They strive to raise hope for the poor and embark on pro-poor projects that are astoundingly surprising and trans-generationally innovative.One of these is the Mega School Project which Governor Olusegun Rahman Mimiko has been planting in Ondo State.There has been no such profound efforts and energy anywhere in Nigeria at restoring hope into the public primary education.Piqued by the parlous state of the public primary schools in the state and remembering that these schools still parade those antediluvian structures of old thereby giving room for the sprawling of private nursery and primary schools which do not only exploit the parents but exclude the wards of the poor who cannot afford the exploitative fees, Gov Mimiko believed that there is the urgent need to rescue the public primary schools from coma.As a man who will never execute any of his concepts in half measures because to him, whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well, better and best.To him, one cannot build something on nothing, as primary education is the foundation on which the other educational super structures would rest.If the public primary education continued to be defective, then the masses of the pupils were bound to carry the burden forever. And this must not be so. Not in Ondo State where education is the main industry. Hence, the Caring Heart Concept has to address this.Thus, the Mega Primary School Project is aimed at revitalising the foundational structure of education by re-energising the curriculum, the teachers, instructional materials and educational incentives for stakeholders evolved.Also of importance is the ambience and the atmosphere where the pupils receive knowledge, which must be qualitative, as a highly responsible government is supposed to be generous in provision of facilities for its educational institutions in a way that is better than the private proprietors.Governor Mimiko thus decided that, for Ondo State, the public primary schools must be the best in terms of curriculum execution, manpower, instructional materials and structure.The Mega School Project is the brain work of a visionary which hangs on the idea of merging a cluster of primary schools which have under 100 pupils' enrolment within two or three kilometres radius to form a mega school.Hence, Dr Mimiko decided to turn all the primary schools in the state to Mega Schools with strict adherence to what is United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) specifications.There are two types of the mega schools; Type A and Type B. The most significant differences in the two are in structural design and number of pupils enrolment. While Type A consists of one'storey structure and has a capacity to enrol 1500 pupils, Type B is made up of a bungalows with capacity for 500 pupils.Both types are architectural masterpieces washed in amazing colours that will kindle the cognitive imagination of the pupils.All the classrooms are fitted with ceiling fans, the walkways are cobbled with interlocked blocks in circular complex.Each school has a water system, toilet facility and standard football pitch, while there is portion for a geographical garden.As the Tribune Tourism Crew of Wale Ojo'Lanre and Wale Olapade alighted from the car that took them to Oke Ijebu area of Akure, the capital of Ondo State, where a Type B Mega School Project is located, a man on a bike who ostensibly realised that the visitors were surprised at what they were seeing, said:''You can see what Mimiko is doing with our money! This is a public primary school! You may not believe it. It is real. We have seen what he is using our money for. This is one of them. And some thieves have accused him of not sharing the money. These useless anti'people elements who hate good governance are plotting against him, but they will fail, as we cannot afford to miss this genius who fate has brought development to Ondo State.'Mr Ade Oluwafeyikemi , who operates an okada in Oke'Ijebu area of Akure, said: If you know how ramshackled the clusters of buildings called primary schools which occupied these place before, you will continue to thank God for Iroko's life. This beautiful site was that primary school where hoodlums used to hide their arms. You remember that case when one of the pupils found a pistol and shot another. This is where Mimiko has turned to the envy of all.'To Isaac Ademulegun, a restaurant operator at Oke'Ijebu, 'This is amazing. So, the children of the too poor can now go to school and learn in an environment which is far better and cosier than the expensive private nursery and primary schools, which are exclusive for the children of the super rich without paying a kobo' Tell me why any child will not be intelligent if he studies in this kind of environment' Gov Mimiko is doing what Chief Awolowo did in the old Western Region in those days. Indeed, Awolowo has come back.'Subseqently, Governor Mimiko has said his government is using the Mega School projects in the State to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in the society in a new form of social re-engineering.Mimiko, who gave the assurance during an interview shortly after he inspected the completed Caring Heart Mega Primary School, Igbodigo, Okitipupa now ready for use said his administration's idea of integration to make the children of the down trodden better placed for competition with the affluent in the society will be pursued without let or hindrance.He said: 'We are creating a social integration to ensure that the children of the poor can rub shoulders with the children of the rich by choice in the society. Nothing but the best is good for us in Ondo State. We told our people that what we are going to put on ground will be world-class for the future of our state and the future of Nigeria.'We believe that for us to re-engineer education and reposition it, we must provide the best infrastructural facilities of global standard. We are happy that we dreamt about this and God has helped us to realise it.'Mimiko, who expressed satisfaction on the quality of job done by the contractor said he was optimistic that the quality of the facilities and the conducive learning environment being provided by his administration will encourage the younger generation to embrace education which he referred to as the only thing that can break the vicious cycle of abject poverty.While expressing joy that his government has achieved the objective of the socio-integration in the health sector as he confirmed that the wife of a messenger and the wife of a Director, by choice, receive attention side by side in the same ward at the State's Mother and Child Hospital in Akure, Mimiko reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to democratise access to health and education in the state.
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