Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, yesterday, threatened to deal
with saboteurs of his education policies adding that he has given
approval for the recruitment of teachers into the state’s teaching
service.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Taiwo
Adisa, indicated that the Governor stated this while speaking at the
commissioning of a N50 million multipurpose hall donated to the Ilora
Baptist Grammar School, Ilora, by an old student, Mr. Remi Oyekola.
The statement also quoted the Governor as indicating that the state
government has not scrapped the School Governing Boards(SGBs) which
manages the secondary schools.
Makinde also stated that he has approved running grants to schools
adding that the funds must be lodged in the existing SGB account of
each school.
“The operational guidelines for the School Governing Boards, including
the already established financial template and procedures must be
strictly adhered to,” the Governor said, adding that any school
without an existing School Governing Board should report to the
Director of Schools, Ministry of Education not later noon of Friday,
October 25, 2019.
He said Government has put in place a policy of free education and no
principal should compel any student to pay any illegal fee, even the
Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) is voluntary.
He also warned those who were hell-bent on sabotaging his Government’s
education policies by destroying school properties through arson and
burglary and those extorting students to desist from such path or face
the full wrath of the law.
He said: “Any parent that wants to contribute to the school where
his/her ward is attending can do so, it’s fine. But what we met on
ground was huge fraud. There was no accountability. Even, as early as
the day before yesterday, they said some people were still requesting
for payment of N2,000 for the running grants we want to give to
schools.
“Actually, I may not be right all the time but I will still
investigate. But I am 100 per cent sure that I am right and I said to
them that if they collect the money, I will jail the people in charge.
The situation we are with the education of our children in Oyo State
can be likened to a popular saying that goes thus: ‘a child that says
his mother will not sleep, will equally not be allowed to rest’. We
won’t allow anybody to sabotage our education policy.”
Governor Makinde commended the donor of the building, Mr. Oyekola, who
in his speech had said that he embarked on the project to give back to
the society and to honour his mother who toiled for his education.
Earlier, the Principal, Ilora Baptist Grammar School, Mrs Titi
Akintujoye, said that the old Students Association has rehabilitated
over 10 blocks of classroom, toilets and the library, also provision
of fence to secure lives and properties in the school.
She, however, appealed to the Governor to approve the
re-classification of the school as Junior and Secondary Schools to
allow for efficient management and transition from one school to the
other, completion of the school fencing to prevent encroachment and to
assist in completing a block of four classrooms started by the School
Governing Board in the school.
