Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, has given approval for the recruitment of teachers into the state’s teaching service, noting that his government is re-engineering the education for “long-lasting positive results.”
He said that he gave approval for the recruitment to address the challenge of shortage of teachers, especially following the influx of students to public schools in the state.
“As I speak with you, the process of teachers’ recruitment has begun. The next thing you will see is the result. We are determined to put an end to the recurring problem of shortage of teachers in Oyo State public schools. And so help us God, it will be done,” the governor said.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor gave the approval while speaking at the commissioning of an 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) that manage the secondary schools.
Makinde, who also said that he had approved running grants to schools, said that the funds must be lodged in the existing SGB account of each school.
He said the government had put in place a policy of free education and no principal should compel any student to pay any illegal fee, even the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) levy is voluntary.
He also warned those who were hell-bent on sabotaging his government’s education policies by destroying school property through arson and burglary and those extorting students to desist from such paths or face the full wrath of the law.
He said that no matter the number of threats and blackmail by opponents of his free education policy would deter his government from providing free and qualitative education.
He said: “Any parent that wants to contribute to the school where his/her ward is attending can do so. 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 payment of N2,000 for the running grants we want to give to schools.
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 in her welcome address, the Principal, Ilora Baptist Grammar School, Mrs. Titi Akintujoye, 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
