Permit me to use this medium to express my views about the recently released White Paper on education by the Oyo State government. We, the citizens, should not sit on the fence when policies are being made and we should always air our views, whether it is positive or negative. In essence, when government action needs to be commended or condemned, we should not hide under one finger.
To this end, I write this to commend the Oyo State government on the creation of the school governing board which will provide management functions for secondary schools in the state. Although, it is unfortunate that this decision was taken after the crisis witnessed in the education sector recently.
The government should have considered this option instead of the ones some people considered as a step to sell public schools in the state. The policy will open effective channels of communication among the various stakeholders in the education sector. This will improve the conditions of our various schools in terms of academics, infrastructure and furniture.
Parents, community leaders, old students, among other various stakeholders, will have first hand information about the happenings in schools. Not being privy to the programmes in our schools has affected the educational standard of our various schools.
While commending the Oyo State government for this worthy initiative, I urge it to follow this policy to the letter in accordance with functions and guidelines highlighted in the White Paper. This, and many other initiatives, will save the education of the state from further decay and bring forth the lost glory of our education system.
- Tolu Agbeja,
Sanda Street, Molete,
Ibadan.