The Labour Party gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade has lampooned the Rauf Aregbesola administration for the bastardization of education sector in Osun state.
Akinbade fingered the re-classification policy and lack of tangible plans for the state owned tertiary institutions by Aregbesola’s government as the basis for the dwindling fortunes of the state in the sector.
According to his spokesperson, Mr. Kayode Oladeji, the LP standard bearer insisted that the state had never had it so bad, decrying equally, the strike action of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the four tertiary institutions of the state which he said was caused by Aregbesola’s administration.
“The sector has been badly affected, so much muddled up: many schools built through communal efforts have been demolished, thereby leaving the pupils and their parents in such areas, in serious problems. The policy lacks focus and human face. All our tertiary institutions have been under lock and key since February this year due to the ineptitude and greed of the administration. Teachers and students have been at home since then with Aregbesola turning deaf ears to their demands, yet he is spending billions of naira on frivolities”.
He further bemoaned that it has left students to be going through harrowing experience as they have to trek several kilometres to the schools while those at the tertiary institutions have been left in the cold through the nonchalant attitude of the government,
“The situation really calls for concern. The lecturers are asking for their hard earned money which they contributed as allowed by the new Contributory Pension Scheme. This money runs into billions of Naira. The money has been mismanaged and that is why the administration’s agents have been blowing all sorts of grammar instead of giving the lecturers their money. Currently,our West African Examination Council (WEAC) result is at an all time low now. Our state is now at the lowest rung when compared to what it used to be some years back”
To correct the problem already created by the policy, the former SSG said if voted into power, his administration would revert to the Natural policy on Education while the state tertiary institutions would be rejuvenated on all fronts towards making teaching and learning environment to be conducive for students,teaching and non-teaching staff of the institutions.
Akinbade added that his administration would make use of ingredients that would make the sector buoyant through the rejuvenation of Parent Teachers Association (PTA), promotion and training and retraining of teachers amongst others.
Besides, the governorship hopeful promised to organise a stakeholder summit on education with a view to charting new course for the sector.
Meanwhile, he has assured students that a conducive learning environment would be put in place for them through the provision of relevant learning materials as well bursary .
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