The Oyo State House of Assembly has expressed worry over the porosity and susceptibility of several public schools in the state to invasion by hoodlums and criminals.
The Assembly noted that the porosity of schools is fuelled by the fact several schools are without perimeter fencing while those fenced do not have guards to man the gate and do day and night surveillance of the schools’ environment.
The Assembly noted that owing to lack of security guards, some students leave during school hours for game joints, eateries and cinemas while there are wanton reports of theft and raid of laboratory equipment, computers, books and other school valuables by hoodlums.
Members of the state Assembly echoed this worry while adopting a motion enitled: “Need to Recruit More Security Guards and put other necessary security measures in place for public schools in the state,” presented at plenary by the House Majority Leader, Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin.
The motion had noted expressed worry at the sight of several students roaming about during school hours with several leaving school premises without checks or informing their school authority.
Adedoyin had in the notion expressed concern that the lives of students and teachers will continue to be endangered unless the state government fills the gap in guards noting that several of them had retired.
To this end, the Assembly called on the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to recruit guards to fill vacancies in public schools in the state.
This is just as the Assembly urged the state government to intensify efforts at the construction of perimeter fencing and rehabilitation of dilapidated ones in the public schools to forestall accessibility by hoodlums.
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Furthermore, the Assembly called for the state government to set up a joint task force, involving security agencies, to check students who are found roaming during school hours.
The legislature suggested the state government engage the services of relevant voluntary organizations like Man O War, Peace Corps and War Against Indiscipline and Corruption (WAIC) brigades to secure the school environment.
Parts of the motion read: “Aware that some of our public schools in the State are without perimeter fencing which makes access to them porous and susceptible to hoodlum attacks, even the properties of the schools are accessible without the knowledge of the school authority.
“In the same vein, some of the fenced schools do not have security guards to man the gate and to take charge of the surveillance of the school environment. These precarious situations of our schools have continued to open them to the theft of all sorts.
“Laboratory equipment, computer systems, valuable books in the libraries among others are being reported, every now and then, by school authorities to have been stolen.
“Further aware that Security Guards were not recruited in recent times to fill the vacancies created by those Guards who had retired a due to the length of year of service and others who have died.
“This in a way had exposed our children and even teachers to untold hazards, Lack of Security Guards also allow students leave school premises unknown to the school authority, some of them roam about during school hours. The situation has degenerated to the extent that some of these students are seen at game joints, eateries and cinemas.”
Meanwhile, in another motion at the day’s plenary, the Assembly has urged the state government to see to the fact that about 25 primary schools in Oyo East and Oyo West constituencies have been closed down for about four years.
The member representing the Oyo East/East constituency, Honourable Kehinde Isiaka who brought this to the attention of the Assembly, said the schools were in deplorable state while most of the structures therein were on the verge of collapse.
Owing to long abandonment and non-utilisation, Isiaka bemoaned that educational aids provided by the government were also going down the drain.
He listed some of the affected schools to be, Baptist Primary Schools Oluwatedo and Laagbe; Phinock Memorial Primary School Obanako road; L.A Primary School Ago-Oyo; St. Lukes Primary School Bada Idi Iyalode; Community Basic Schools Igbo-Olose and Obanako in Oyo West Local Government Area.
Some others are Baptist Primary Schools Oniyanrin, Gudugbu and Aguo; Community Primary School Obasere; Community Basic School Adebimpe; Methodist Primary School Aba Igbo Aje and Primary School Alagbon Iwo in Oyo East Local Government Area.
Slamming the gavel on the motion, Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, mandated the House Committee on Education to investigate the course of the abandonment of these schools and report to the Assembly within four weeks.
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Oyo public schools porous, susceptible to invasion by hoodlums, State Assembly raises alarm
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