One year after: Stakeholders laud Oyo SGB

WHEN the Oyo state government launched the School Governing Board (SGB) for public secondary schools within the state and inaugurated the first set of members in all the 628 Public Secondary Schools as part of its commitment to involve willing and interested public and private sector stakeholders in the joint management of public schools, many felt it was business as usual and nothing will come out of the policy.

The state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi had lamented the consistent decline in the standards of education in the state over the last two decades and had stated that this decline prompted his administration to convene the education summit of 2012.

Though the initial plan to present the outcome of the summit for public deliberation on was misunderstood and led to violent demonstrations by some members of the Nigerian Labour Congress and some students, the government wasn’t deterred and did not allow the negative reception overshadow the good that the SGB can do to the educational system in the state.

Speaking at the inauguration of the SGB members, Senator Ajimobi stated that, “the abysmal performance of Oyo State Students in West African Senior School Certificate Examinations in comparison with other states of the federation continues to be a cause of concern to all and sundry. In 1999 for instance Oyo State was placed as 12th position out of the 36 States in the examination. By the time we came, the first result we got in 2012, Oyo State came almost 34th at a time; the state had dropped to 27th position by 2015.

“We certainly cannot continue like this and that is why we believe all of us must come together to salvage the situation, we believe that all hands must be on deck to reverse this undesirable trend and regain our pride of place as the intellectual capital of Nigeria. The prime purpose of the proposed SGB is to improve the quality and academic performance and behaviours of students of our secondary schools especially in examinations, in other words training in secondary schools is not only about education; it is also about character building,” he stated.

After one year however, skeptics have been proved wrong that SGB is not just a paper committee but one that is ready to serve and make a difference.  Senator Ajimobi first attested to this while speaking at the Lagelu @ 60 programme. He said, “It is gratifying to note that the Schools Governing Boards across the state have justified government’s position as evidenced by the high level participation of various stakeholders in infrastructural and human capital development in our school with over two hundred and fifty interventions totaling about N1bn.

“I am delighted at the recent developments in the education sector in Oyo state. Last year Oyo State recorded a pass rate of 54% in the 2017 WAEC exams which is the best result in the last 18 years. Oyo State was also rated second in the 2016 NECO and 3rd in 2017. In Nigeria last year, Oyo State students led the pack with the best results for both male and female students in WAEC.”

Within a year, the SGB from various schools within the state had renovated dilapidated structures in schools, provided furniture for staff and students, provided toilet facilities and securities in schools through the appointment of security guards, served in advisory role to students and constructed school halls and laboratories.

The SGB in Afijio Local Government Area thanked governor Ajimobi for giving them the opportunity to serve their immediate community in the effort of developing education in the state by giving them the sense of ownership which has been the motivating factor in moving education forward in the local government area.

Today, stakeholders including professional bodies within the education sector are full of praises for the SGB. The SGB Chairman Baptist High School in Ilora, Mr. Tunji Odeleye said the SGB been a tremendous blessing to schools by giving opportunity to every sphere to contribute its own quota to the development and revamping of the education industry.

The greatest commendation is however from unexpected quarters; the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) seems to have become the greatest advocates of SGB after experiencing firsthand the landmark developments in schools. One of the ANCOPSS Presidents, Mr G.O. Popoola, stated that since its inception in March 2017, the SGB has been making a giant stride in meeting the specific need of the school, in all areas.

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For Mr. Taiwo Micheal Atanrawo, ANCOPSS President in Ibarapa, “Our school has improved tremendously because of the renovation of some of our dilapidated buildings, while SGB has bought new equipment; and new buildings are coming up. The policy is commendable.”

His counterpart in Irepo, Dcn. I.O. Aborishade stated that through the efforts of the SGB some schools had witnessed tremendous development such as construction of VIP toilets, school hall, ICT laboratory and repair of dilapidated structures among others. “In all, the SGB is a laudable idea and should not be made to go into oblivion,” he stated.

Also speaking, Mr. Fasola B.J. ANCOPSS President in Itesiwaju local government stated that “the SGB is already yielding positive results in secondary schools. Many dilapidated classrooms had undergone repairs. Furniture had been provided for the use of students and staff. Urinal and toilet facilities have been provided in some cases. The security of some schools has been taken care through the engagement of night and day guards. Parents are becoming more serious in taking responsibility on the training of their children.”

The Ogbomoso ANCOPSS President, Mrs. Dorcas Oluwayomi Akinyode, her colleague from Oyo West, MRS. S.O.Gbenle, also harped the efforts of the SGB in alleviating the burden of Public Secondary Schools in the area of infrastructure, maintenance and provision of basic needs, adding that it is a laudable project that affords school founders and community participation in school administration to facilitate quick interventions and prompt attention to school needs.

Other SGB Chairmen; Mrs. A.O. Adegbaiye of Community High School, Adegbayi; Mr. Babalola Olaitan of the School Of Science, Oyo; Mr. R.A Adebayo, Igboora High School; Mr. Banwo Smith, Government College Ibadan; Mr. Siji Ganiyu, Maku Grammar School, Tapa; Mr Adeni Julius Olukayode, Oke Amu Community College; Mr. S.G. Adedokun, Akinwumi Methodist Grammar School, Iseyin; Prof. Oladimeji Oladepo, Irepodun Community High School, Ilero; Prof. David A. Adeyemo, Community High School, Ajara; Revd. E.A. Olabiwonninu; Hon ‘Sanjo Akintola, CHS, Ibere and Chief Bayo Adesope, Olivet Baptist Junior High School, Oyo, all attested to the fact that the SGB has been a catalyst for development in public secondary schools in Oyo state.

They all agreed that the SGB has given individual schools the opportunity to develop at their own pace and it had created a healthy rivalry amongst schools in terms of infrastructural development. “Some SGBs had assisted their schools in the recruitment/employment of teachers especially in core subject areas to complement the efforts of both government and parent employed teachers. In a nutshell what we could have achieved in five years without the School Governing Board has been achieved in less than nine months,” they stated.

And as stakeholders laud the landmark strides of the SGB, they have called on government not to allow the project stalemate for whatever reason; either because of protests from the parents or any other group as the development witnessed was unexpected.

They also called on the SGB to continue to strive to be a catalyst of infrastructural development in their assigned institutions through consistent determination of members, pragmatic decision making process and prudent financial management.

Indeed, it seems the dawn of a new era of development for public secondary schools in Oyo state with the SGB committed to living up to their responsibilities.