Anytime I hear anyone mention education as one of the achievements of this administration, I feel like invoking mythological thunder to clap the mouth of such a person. It is saddening that education in Oyo State has become nothing to write home about especially at the public primary and secondary school levels. My alma mater, Oke ‘Badan High School that I visited recently, is not left out. It is a story of dilapidation and chairlessness! The school, just like other public schools, is now at the mercy of the old students’ association. Neither the public school principals nor teachers can complain or do anything that may affect the overbloated image of the government in any way even when they are lacking essential things.
If you are as passionate as I am about the state of education in Oyo State, kindly ask Governor Seyi Makinde the last time he supplied science materials to Oyo State secondary schools. Please also ask him the last time the Oyo State Ministry of Education was given necessary funds to send its officers out on WASSCE and NECO inspection to avoid or reduce examination malpractices. There is no more fear of inspectors coming to schools because Seyi Makinde’s government is not interested in education. Students cheat anyhow and their teachers aid them freely except when they are unluckily caught by WAEC or NECO officials.
Just last year, WAEC delisted 50 secondary schools in Oyo State for exam malpractices. A whole 50! Let me mention just 10 of them that are in Ibadan for their alumni to know what visionless governance has done to their schools:
1. Lagelu Grammar School, Agugu
2. Anglican Grammar School, Molete
3. Ansar-Ud-Deen High School, Ijokodo
4. Ikolaba High School, Agodi
5. Urban Day Grammar School, Old Ife Road
6. Urban Day Grammar School, Ring Road
7. Renascent High School, Aremo
8. Adekile Goodwill Grammar School, Aperin
9. Ibadan City Model College, Iyana Church (Private)
10. Graceland High School, Moniya (Private)
IMPLICATIONS
1. None of the 50 derecognised schools will be able to write WASSCE for two years
2. Each of the derecognised schools will pay a fine of 500 000 naira to WAEC after serving their 2 years punishment. A government that cannot prepare students excellently to pass exams or facilitate necessary inspection should be able to pay a shamefully unnecessary derecognition fine.
3. If any of the 50 schools strongly wishes to write WASSCE within the 2 years, no teacher in the school will be allowed to invigilate or get close to the examination hall. WHAT A SHAME! Hence, WAEC will need to bring external invigilators from schools of their choice and the derecognised school will pay all the bills. Old students’ associations of the above schools should get ready in case….
Before Governor Seyi Makinde’s data boys troop to my Facebook timeline to praise him for prompt payment of salaries of teachers, they should know that it is nothing to brag about. Salary payment is not an achievement. Only teachers/workers with poverty mentality will feel someone is helping them by paying for their sweat. Did they sign up for community service? If as a private school owner, I pay my staff members much more than Governor Seyi Makinde does, I see no reason someone using our collective tax payers’ money should be feeling on top of the world. This can only happen in this declining clime.
Author is Saheed Oladele, CEO of Erudite Millennium School, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State
