By Michael Adeyemo
The media has been charged to do more in ensuring transparency and accountability in the Oyo State education sector.
A Media Consultant, Mr Oluwaseun Akinola gave the charge at a two-day capacity building for media on transparency and accountability in the education sector, organised by Education as a Vaccine Initiative in collaboration with Malala Fund Champions Nigeria and other partners, held in Ibadan.
Mr Akinola who is also Head of Programs, Splash FM, Ibadan, said the state of education in Oyo state has been deteriorating over the years, due to negligence of the media in playing its role as watch dogs, amidst the growing number of out-of-school children and poor budget implementation.
The media expert charged media professionals in the state to wake up to their responsibility in ensuring that education in the state gets all necessary attention from the government and stakeholders.
On her part, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Abuja, Mrs. Anthonies Okanibe, called for synergy among media outfits in the state in promoting quality education.
Earlier, the Programme Officer, Education as a Vaccine Initative, Kaduna, Ms. Mercy Abalaku said the essence of the workshop was to train media personnels on creating effective content on transparency and accountability in the area of education, through investigative journalism, fact checking and data analysis.
Highlights of the event include, group work and presentation that produced action plans on the role of media in promoting transparency and accountability in the education sector.
Among the media professionals at the capacity building programme with the theme “Empowering the Media, Enhancing Transparency” was General Manager, Pensioners FM, Dr. Babatunde Tiamiyu.
