The Ogun Government says increasing numbers of parents are withdrawing their children from private primary schools and enrolling them in public flagship schools.
Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, disclosed this on Thursday at a press conference at the ministry’s conference room, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, ahead of the 2026/2027 academic session.
Arigbabu said nearly 80 per cent of learners admitted into the state’s flagship schools were coming from private primary schools, attributing the trend to government’s investment in infrastructure and teaching and learning facilities.
He said the state currently had 40 senior flagship schools and four combined flagship schools, describing them as model institutions established to provide quality education across the state.
The commissioner explained that admission into the flagship schools was restricted to Junior Secondary School One, adding that transfer admission was not allowed.
He said the government had intensified its school enrolment campaign, with officials visiting markets, motor parks and other public places across Ijebu, Remo, Yewa and Egba to sensitise parents on education.
Arigbabu urged parents and guardians to take advantage of the free education policy and ensure that all school-age children were enrolled and retained in school.
He also disclosed that the state recorded a 96 per cent pass rate in the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination, whose results were released on Wednesday night.
The commissioner said the examination process had been largely automated, including the production of Optical Mark Recognition sheets and answer booklets, to improve efficiency, transparency and credibility.
On resumption preparations, Arigbabu said the ministry had concluded a three-day stakeholders’ engagement involving education stakeholders and security agencies, with 1,564 head teachers and 520 secondary school principals participating in the final day.
He said the government had reviewed school infrastructure, while urging school authorities to strengthen access control, report suspicious activities and ensure the safety of pupils and students.
Arigbabu said Ogun had established itself as a leader in technology-driven education through initiatives such as the Learner Identification Number system and OgunLEARN, an artificial intelligence-powered teaching and learning platform.
He urged teachers to embrace technology, warned against unauthorised charges, bullying, abuse, drug-related activities, violence and examination malpractice, and reiterated that corporal punishment was prohibited.
