Oyo will not sell or privatise public schools, says Ajimobi

As the strike action embarked upon by workers in Oyo State continues, governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday reassured stakeholders that his administration had no plan to sell or privatize any of the 631 public secondary schools in the state, stressing that the allegation was a figment of the imagination of some opponents of the government.

Ajimobi who spoke with reporters on happenings in the state said that judging by the responses so far, the state might not have more than 30 schools or thereabout where partnership might exist with interested stakeholders in the management of the schools.

The governor also stated that the government would spend the about N600 million generated from the education level introduced last year for the renovation of the remaining schools when the students embark on the next long vacation.

The governor decried the poor attitude of some parents whom he said were not prepared to contribute anything to the education and development of their children, a situation he blamed for the inability of the government to meet the N1.2bn target from the education levy.

He said: “We are not selling our schools. It is a misconception. We only want to partner with the people on the management of some of our schools, because this has become inevitable judging by the poor state of our economy and the deteriorating condition of our schools.