Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday cried out over what it described as unabated downward slide of the standard of education in the state.
This is just as it urged the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to wake up from its slumber and act decisively to arrest the trend before things get out of hand.
This came against the background of claims by the state government that the sector had been fixed such that some parents were withdrawing their wards from schools in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and other countries in Europe to get them enrolled in public schools in the state on account of the efforts of Governor Makinde.
The APC in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, identified scarcity of teachers, deplorable infrastructure, lack of teaching aids and equipment, poor monitoring and supervision.
Erosion of competent administrators and experienced experts, poor policy and curriculum review and implementation, among others as factors responsible for the evident rot in the education sector in the state.
Sadare said: “It is time well-meaning citizens and residents of the state began to ask questions on why a key sector like that of education has had to be handled with levity in the last five years. Apart from the fact that intensity and quality of teachings in most public schools have dropped sharply, there are several questions begging for answers regarding high level of indiscipline and moral decadence among pupils even if one does not bother to raise questions on the performance of pupils from government-owned schools in both internal and external examinations in recent times.
“Many people are worried about the seeming invisibility and inaccessibility of the Commissioner of Education while they get to read about those at the helms of affairs in SUBEB and TESCOM only when the powers-that-be want to move monies through their office in the name of contract awards. If the current administration parades a school as model, the world should know that there are 2,000 others across the state which beg for urgent attention in view of their deplorable condition.
“The PDP administration of Governor Makinde claims all is well in the education sector but a simple check by anyone would reveal the truth. It is an understatement that there no enough staff in public schools while the few teachers available are overwhelmed with work load and lack of basic equipment to enhance service delivery. The story is the same across the 33 local government councils and for the avoidance of doubt, we have our verifiable facts.
“St. Joseph Primary School, Oniyanrin in Ibadan North West LGA has over 1,250 pupils but only four teachers are in charge. SDA Primary School located in two communities of Owobaale and Ibiti in Egbeda LGA has three teachers attending to about 400 pupils while the situation in Baptist Basic School in Tede is the same as six teachers attending to over 320 pupils. At AUD Primary School, Sagan-un in Igboora area of Ibarapa Central LGA, only eight teachers take care of about 830 pupils while there are just three teachers available to over 220 pupils in Muslim Community Primary School, Baba-Ode in Itesiwaju LGA while in Christ Church School, Bioku-Etile in Ona-Ara LGA has about 380 pupils and only three teachers are taking them.”
The party added: “The situation in public secondary schools is not different if not worse as there no staff to teach core subjects such as Mathematics, English Language, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and so on. In Baptist Secondary Grammar School, Ago-Are located in Atisbo LGA, the Old Student Association of the school has been responsible for the recruitment and payment of ad hoc teachers to keep their Alma Mater, which has 985 students, afloat. Methodist High School, Isale-Oja, Igangan in Ibarapa North LGA has four teachers attending to 870 students and the trend is all over the state.”
