Oyo constitutes education reform panel as schools remain shut

Oyo State government yesterday set up a 31- member Education Reform Initiative Committee to widen its scope of consultations on the proposed participatory management of public secondary schools in the state.

This followed the controversy surrounding the government education policy to improve the standard of education in the state, which resulted into violent protest by some teachers, students and labour leaders.

The Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo while addressing reporters said the enlarged committee was meant to accommodate more suggestions and models in addition to those proposed by the state, as well as submissions in the memoranda received so far from the stakeholders.

This is coming as schools in the state remained shut in spite of the state
government’s directive to reopen on yesterday. Teachers and students stayed away from classrooms.

The state NLC Chairman, Waheed Olojede had mandated teachers to defy government’s directive and continue their strike. Olojede said despite the reopening of the schools, teachers would not resume work until their demands are met.

All the gates of the schools visited by The Guardian were under lock and key.

The governor said that the enlarged committee scheduled for inauguration today, was meant to accommodate more suggestions and models in addition to those proposed by the state, as well as submissions in the memoranda received so far from the stakeholders.

Listed as members of the committee scheduled for inauguration today, were an education expert who, the deputy governor said, would function as its chairman; two nominees each from the University of Ibadan and the National Parents/Teachers’ Association of Nigeria.
Adeyemo said that two members each were also being expected from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)/Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT); All Nigerian Congress of Principals of Public Schools (ANCOPPS); National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Market Advisory Council; Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); and the Muslim community.

According to him, membership of the committee also included community leaders, private sector education practitioners and consultants, traditional rulers, relevant state commissioners, permanent secretary in the ministry of education, as well as the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

On the ongoing industrial action by the state’s workforce, the deputy governor disclosed that the government decided to set up a 14-member committee sequel to intervention by concerned parties, including the State House of Assembly, aimed at ending the logjam.

He was optimistic that the impasse would be resolved in a matter of days, while noting that the decision of the government to reopen the schools was without prejudice to the workers’ and teachers’ strike.

Adeyemo said that the government decided to shut the schools to prevent the students from being used as canon folders by labour leaders in the pursuit of a different agenda, while it reopened them in deference to appeals by well-meaning citizens of the state.
He said, “We shut the schools to prevent our children from harm and now that the dust has settled we have reopened the schools. It is left to the members of the public to determine who is now still responsible for the continued staying of our children at home.

He maintained that the 17 schools, whose students partook in the violent disturbances and wanton destruction of public property, would remain shut until their principals, management and students showed penitence in form of letters of apology and undertaking as the case may be.