“IN this kind of scheme, it is not unexpected that there would be apprehension, knowing well that change is the most difficult thing for people to adjust to. Our people eulogise and long for good education standards across the world and would wish it for their children. However, the hard reality is that these positive changes must involve some alterations in our current depressing system to bring about the new generation of well-educated, trained citizens that will take our state to higher heights. It is in the light of these that we are resolute in going ahead with the best policy for the future of our children.”
The statement above by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State on his administration’s new but controversial education policy is clear and persuasive, perhaps convincing. However, the policy and its method of deployment have met brick walls in many quarters in the state, raising questions as to its desirability, workability and, even, effectiveness, thereby prompting that explanation.
Christians and members of the Baptist denomination are not hiding their disdain for the policy and have expressed to the government in unmistakable terms their unhappiness with Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s plan to merge pupils from their schools with those in other public schools.
On two occasions within a week, Baptists, both old and young, armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, defied law enforcement agents in their street protests against the state tinkering with “their heritage.” The state’s decision to restructure its school system was reached shortly after Aregbesola took over in November 2010 and convened an education summit.
The week-long event attracted various eggheads from across the country, including the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who chaired the event at the Osun State University main campus in Osogbo. Aregbesola had told the indigenes that the summit was necessary to address the alleged “sorry state of education his administration inherited” from the ousted Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government.
The government later received the report of the summit and concluded that the Osun school system needed a drastic surgical operation in order to raise standard, revamp decadent infrastructure and change the entire orientation in the management of public schools.
To achieve this objective, the government demolished alleged dilapidated school buildings and awarded contracts for the construction of ultra-modern classrooms in some chosen locations, including Osogbo. The government also provided free meals for pupils in primaries one to four, sew school uniforms and distributed them free to pupils in all public schools.
However, severe criticisms have attended the demolition of the school buildings, particularly from the major opposition PDP and other stakeholders. The reform policy also witnessed initial resistance by teachers who were allegedly annoyed at the stoppage of extra classes after the official school hours and collection of sundry fees by teachers.
The new system, according to the government, is intended to end the multiplicity and duplicity of schools, which the authorities believe have resulted in decayed infrastructures and dislocated school system. Some of the positive changes so far witnessed in the sector include provision of free school uniform to about 750,000 students in public schools, increase in examination and running grants to schools, reduction in school fees in state-owned tertiary institutions, provision of adequate instructional materials, and feeding of pupils in primaries one to four, among others.
A school of thought believes the changes are unique, especially the distribution of e-learning device otherwise called Opon Imon to all students in senior secondary schools, re-building and construction of modern classrooms and the take-off of the new 4-5-3 policy, which encompasses re-classification of primary and secondary education into elementary, middle and high schools.
The commissioning of the sample Salvation Army Middle School, Alekunwodo in Osogbo on October 2 marked the flag-off of the re-classified system and merger. Under this new arrangement, the state plans to build 100 elementary schools, 50 middle schools and 20 high schools in the first phase of the scheme.
High school system, according to government, will have modern facilities such as boarding, staff quarters, standard laboratories, food courts, standard sports facilities, 1,000-sitting capacity school hall and school managers for maintenance and management. In the re-classified order, the elementary school will comprise pupils of ages six to nine or primaries one to four, with maximum capacity of 900 pupils in cities and less in rural communities.
Also, daily activities will run from 8a.m to 2p.m to enhance effective implementation of the O Meal school feeding programme which, now reviewed, was inherited from the immediate past administration. Pupils in middle school fall within ages 10 and 14 or primaries five to Junior Secondary School (JSS 3). The envisaged enrolment capacity here is between 900 and 1,000 while school activities will run from 8a.m to 3p.m.
Those in high school are between 15 and 17 years or Senior Secondary School (SSS1 to 3) while the expected enrolment is about 3,000. School activities here are programmed for 8a.m to 5p.m. Pupils in this category will be provided with Opon Imon, just as government pays for their West African School Certificate (WASC) exams.
During the commissioning of the pilot Salvation Army Middle School, Aregbesola brought himself down to the level of the school pupils by dressing in middle school uniform, which attracted cheers. However, the commissioning suffered setback because the event was preceded by protests by Baptist stakeholders, who stormed the Baptist Girls High School located at Gbodofon, a shot distance from where the Christians first launched their peaceful protest against the merger of pupils from Fakunle Comprehensive High School with those from Baptist Girls High School.
Some people though have commended the government for its reforms and the bold steps so far taken, while others perceive some of the governor’s actions, particularly the merger of schools, as a ploy to advance his alleged Islamisation of the state. The Christian protesters, who nurse this belief, queried the rationale for merging pupils of different religious persuasion with Christians in a single-sex school such as the Baptist Girls High School.
To teachers, former schools’ owners and other critical stakeholders, the reform policy appears unsuitable and capable of causing undue confusion and disenchantment. Complaints on perceived areas of conflict in the implementation of the policy have been forwarded by stakeholders, especially the umbrella Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The association, which debunked government’s claim of alleged support of the policy, said at no point did members meet with the authorities and approved the merger of schools.
Meanwhile, at the resumption of the 2013/2014 academic session on October 2, just as the former school owners at Baptist Girls High School, Osogbo, were angry over the merger, their counterparts at the boys-only Saint Charles Grammar School and some others resisted their merger with male students from Fakunle Comprehensive High School and females from other schools.
This development prompted the visit of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, who doubles as Commissioner for Education, to the affected schools to douse tensions. The re-classification of schools, the state said, is aimed at bringing pupils of the same age bracket together in a class and providing necessary tools and teaching aids required for effective and efficient running of the system.
The Guardian learnt that after receiving the report of the education summit, the government had resolved to abolish the single-sex system in public schools but the age-long school setting and what informs the drastic step to abolish it is what the original school owners are kicking against. The new system, to the government, will end multiplicity and duplicity of schools, which result in poor management and inability to instill discipline and promote moral rebirth.
During the commissioning of the pilot school project, Laoye-Tomori noted that the school has proved skeptics wrong, adding that though it did not come cheap, the building, which she described as one of the many to be commissioned, represented the “crowning glory of the Aregbesola revolutionary agenda in the education sector.”
She noted: “The education transformation agenda of the present administration is holistic, the government meant a systemic overhaul. The daily feeding of pupils in public elementary schools across the state (with its economic multiplier effects and the empowerment of over 3,000 women appointed by the state as food vendors) is one of the critical steps taken by this administration to address the forlorn decay that we met in the education sector when we assumed office.
“In addition, (there is) provision of school uniforms for all pupils and students in the public schools in the state, adequate financial support to public schools as grants, running costs, and examination fees. The introduction of training schemes, promotion of teachers and prompt payment of teachers’ salaries helped in no small way to enlist high turnover of skilled teachers.
“For the records, our administration embarked on the re-classification exercise for the following reasons: first, the hitherto poor performance of students in both internal and external examinations necessitated the new school system and re-classification, which is believed would help to revamp the education sector.
“The new school system aims at removing financial burden of running of schools totally from parents and saddles the government wholly with the responsibility of school infrastructure development, funding and management. The new school system is designed to make access to quality education available to all children in Osun without any discrimination, thereby giving a level playing ground to all our students.”
For Aregbesola, the state is already witnessing a progressive improvement in the academic performances of school pupils, as their recent performance in public examinations, including WAEC, is said to have improved significantly. He noted that the feeding programme, beside the economics of engaging some 3,000 women, has brought additional gains to the production capacities of farmers and suppliers of farm produce, as well as the poultry and beef inputs for the food menu.
However, while other critical stakeholders kick against the merger of existing mission schools with public schools as attempt to wipe off the remaining vestiges of inheritance by the school founders and also affect the practice of their faith, Laoye-Tomori said the new system is in tandem with the National Policy on Education or the National School Curriculum.
According to her “under the re-classification, we run the national 6-3-3-4 system as well as the normal school academic calendar. Under the re-classification of primary and secondary education, what we have done is to put pupils in primaries 1-4 under the same roof and environment with provision of modern facilities consistent with their age.
“Here, they spend the first four of the six years of the 6-3-3-4 system. The middle school has primaries 5 and 6 pupils put together under same roof and environment with students of JJS 1-3. Those of primary 5 and 6 complete the last two of their six-year primary education, write their terminal examination and continue with the next segment of three years of the 6-3-3-4 system. The high school is also designed and purpose-built for students that have completed their middle school to spend the last three years of their basic 6-3-3-4 system.”
Again, while the ruling party in the state, APC has lauded the government for the milestone reached with the repositioning the educational system, opposition parties posited that the re-classification has brought confusion and loss of identity to most affected schools. They noted that the pupils would be made to trek about two to three kilometres to and from their schools everyday.
Also, while the Baptist denomination went beyond mere criticisms of the new education order by refusing other students entry into the school premises, just like St. Charles Grammar School did, concerned alumni of Fakunle High School, urged Aregbesola not to demolish their school. They warned that the policy might inflict pains on the students, adding that government should rather complete all school projects embarked upon since 2011, build more qualitative schools and equip existing ones.
The Fakunle alumni alleged that the government intended to demolish the school and in its place build Shoprite International Car Park, against the spirit of the late founder of Fakunle School, Rev. Ade Fakunle, in founding the school in 1965. Opposition Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) has as well warned that the merger has the potential to cause undue confusion.
While protests continue, the state government has sued for peace and cooperation to enable the reform move according to plan. Aregbesola, addressing the citizens recently in Ile-Ife, called for public understanding over the controversial policy. He admitted that government was following the trend of resistance by some people and groups over the matter, but that the overall objective of the policy was to raise standard and make education more impactful.
Aregbesola averred that the re-classification exercise aims at offering a complete education system that would produce a sound and all-round mind in the present generation of children in the state. The statement also quoted the governor as saying that all interests – pupils/students, parents and teachers – were adequately considered without any sentiment before arriving at the decision. Overall, it is to “develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This is the Omoluabi essence. Everything we have done in the school reforms is for the building of this man.”
Noting the “little inconveniences the reforms could bring about to parents and the pupils,” Aregbesola assured that no single group, organisation or individual, religious or social body’s interest would suffer as a result of the ongoing re-classification and reform.
Nevertheless, of concern to him should be the lingering allegation of stealth in pursuance of his Islamisation of the state. Speaking on the development, the Osun State Christian Association of Nigeria (OSCAN) said that “CAN is not against any new educational policy being put in place by either the federal or state government, but we vehemently kick against any educational programme that will obliterate the mission schools and affect our tenets of faith.
“As a major stakeholder in the state, the leadership of CAN expects the state government to invite us to discuss this issue and related ones without delay. We wish to explain it clearly that at no time has the new leadership of CAN in Osun held any meeting with the state government on the issue of merger of schools. Therefore, the statement that we gave our consent to the state government on this policy was untrue.”
The association has served the government a seven-day ultimatum to stop further implementation of the policy in view of the resistance and the implications it might have on mission and single-sex schools. It also repeated its earlier call for the return of mission schools to their owners as an alternative means of preventing clash of interest between the secular authorities and those whose schools were forcibly taken over.
“Governor Rauf Aregbesola was voted into power by both Muslims and Christians. However, we observed that the foundation of the Christian faith is being seriously threatened by some state government’s policies, especially in the educational sector, which the church is strongly aversed to and is not ready to compromise,” the group said.
Nevertheless, the ongoing disquiet has attracted the attention of traditional rulers in the state, who initiated a parley between the parties. Chairman of Osun Baptist Conference, Rev. Paul Kolawole, led other ministers of God to the meeting held last Friday. The royal fathers’ intervention, however, did not achieve the desired objectives as the church insisted that it would not tolerate policies that would work against the smooth propagation of its religion.
While there may be no iota of doubt that Aregbesola has demonstrated commitment to improving the state since he assumed power three years ago, it is worrisome, however, that the allegation of Islamisation persistently being leveled against him has refused to go and has become a serious challenge needing immediate attention.
-- skytrendnews.com
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