Re – WAEC Results: Of Awo’s mud classrooms and govs’ model greed

Again, the columnist vacates this seat today. The main piece of last week’s contribution, entitled above, has received the highest reactions so far since the Flickers resurfaced. Multiply circulated online and discussed severally, it is thus only fair that some of those who reasoned along the writer’s pathway, as well as those who dissented, should have their say too. Our society might just be lucky to have decision-makers wake up from their slumbers to do a synthesis of the submissions without prejudice and formulate policies that will in deed move society forward. Cheers.

Under the pretext of analyzing the recently-released results of candidates that took the 2016 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Festus Adedayo launched a broadside against the pro-masses programmes of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration (of Ogun State). Of course, one must accept that a few of the well-heeled elite have an axe to grind with the governor for placing “politics of development” above “politics of let’s share it!”

However, it seems the columnist, in his recent offering, unwittingly indulged in a self-flagellation exercise when on the one hand he reviled investments in modern classrooms by one governor and on the other lauded the efforts of another governor for the same investments. The analyst hid behind his finger by suggesting that in this 21st century age of technology, mud-built classrooms of the 1950s could achieve the same results as modern structures!

The writer attempted another offside goal by observing – somewhat elliptically – that handing over of mission schools is a sure way of achieving better results in education. Had he done a proper investigation, he would have excused Ogun State from his medley of accusations and patently-misplaced innuendos.

But for the foresight of the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in  “re-negotiating” the return of the mission schools in 2011, about 150,000 children would have been out of school and roaming the streets by now. These innocent children would have been thrown into the wilderness of life because of inability of their parents to pay school fees. Of course, the governor favours return of these schools to their original owners, but such must be done in phases, with due attention paid to the children of the poor.

Despite its non-oil contribution, which is second only to Lagos, Ogun State is number 25 in terms of the amount it receives from the Federation Account. In the 2010/2011 session, enrolment figure for JSS was 158,972. Today, through the free education policy of the Amosun government, enrolment figure has shot up to 226,836. The figure has increased from 133,997 in 2010/ 2011 to 172,444 at the SSS level. Due to improvement in our technical education, some children now move from JSS to such schools while the majority proceed to SSS, which is a big plus for our drive in vocational/technical education. Expectedly, performance of our children in WASSCE did improve significantly.

Just within three years of the current government, our children in the nursery schools were provided with 3,200 chairs, 800 tables, 17,043 two-seater desks and 10,900 two-seater desks with shutters. 7,148 tables and 14,296 chairs were provided for their teachers. At the basic education level, 650 new classrooms were constructed. 2,032 classrooms were renovated. This, in addition to the world class model schools built in line with the technology age. The administrative hiccups on the UBEC funds are being sorted out in line with the system-driven development plan for the sector and in due course, work will peak at the basic levels of education.

Till date, 15,922 primary school teachers, 2,467 JSS teachers and 6,045 SSS teachers have been trained under the Capacity Development Programme of the government. Above all, the thousands of teachers stagnated and frustrated for years had their grade levels adjusted, harmonised and promoted accordingly by the Amosun government. They now enjoy normal promotion.

Amosun consistently devotes over 20 per cent of the budget to education, ensures free education for pupils of public primary and secondary schools – including payment of WAEC fees, pays teachers’ salaries as and when due, trains and retrains thousands of them, implements results of any promotion exercise with attendant salary rise, renovates existing schools and builds 21st century-compliant model schools, he indeed, must have been forcing water out of the rock! Festus Adedayo committed infelicity by comparing apples and oranges.

Of course, there are challenges – and challenges are part and parcel of life – but Senator Ibikunle Amosun can hold his head high today, having delivered on his promises to the good people of Ogun State.

*Soyombo Opeyemi is media aide to the governor of Ogun State
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Still on WAEC results

Let me start by congratulating Adedayo for confessing the roles of “societal ills like fixing of results, hiring pliable invigilators and allied ills” in states’ actual performance in education. At least, rational minds can now understand why Osun prefers year-on-year performance in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results to WAEC rankings for planning purposes. Again, even  if the writer was not bold  enough  to come clean on the state which, in his reckoning, “towers from behind on WAEC’s score sheets”, I have no doubt in my mind that his ignorance about developments in Osun needs some form of education.

That said, had Adedayo carried out a specific, not generalized evaluation of students› performance in Nigeria, he most certainly would have realized that the case on hand and a hunchback’s awkward movement are identical. For instance, Rauf Aregbesola came into office as governor when almost all things were dull and ugly. Specifically, our school buildings were in such dilapidated forms that they were only fit for habitation by pests and rodents. As at 2010, the performance level of students in WAEC’ was a miserable 15.7%. With this sorry state of development, Aregbesola’s administration was of the view that, if our students must go to school at all, there was an urgent need to move from where we were to where we were supposed to be! In other words; and, for economic reasons, there was an urgent need for the administration to erect new structures, not only for the moment but also for the future. Of course, that was it all started!

Interestingly, these interventions have started bearing fruits. For instance, as at 2016, Osun’s performance level in WAEC has risen to 46.3% which is quite a huge jump in the number of students with credit passes in English and Mathematics. A better performance is being keenly expected in 2017. Similarly, Osun has, since 2013, been featuring prominently between the 1st and 3rd positions in the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) matriculatable students in Nigeria. Added to these is the higher level of enrollment and retention at the elementary school level which is due, largely, to the positive impact of the School Feeding programme, aka O’MEAL. The totality of all these interventions has been a consistent increase in school certificate results since 2010. Yes, Osun is not there yet! But, with various interventions in the sector, it’s only a matter of time before ‘Hallelujah’ takes the centre stage!

For obvious reasons, Adedayo would remember World Bank’s recommendation of Peter Obi›s «model for Africa and other developing countries” but would easily forget the laurels, commendations, even recommendations garnered by Osun in appreciation of its laudable initiatives, latest of which was the recommendation of its O›MEAL scheme to other Nigerian states by United Nations International and Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Was our friend not in Nigeria when WAEC also recommended Osun’s Tablet of Knowledge (Opon Imo) to other states? A case of different strokes for different folks?

It is also «poor logic» on his part to have concluded that the learning environment has no bearing on the improvement in performance. On the contrary, if the former is conducive, chances are that the latter will be positively affected. Again, if Adedayo could condemn Aregbesola›s modest contributions to Nigeria›s education sector, one can only wonder what differentiates him from those «critics» of 1954 who accused Obafemi Awolowo of «opting for ‘substandard’ buildings.» Not only that, if «400,000 pupils turned up» for Awo›s scheme in 1955, «contrary to his projected 175,000» has he carried out an assessment study of what O›MEAL has done for education in Osun?

The Columnist contradicted himself when, in one breath, he likened Rotimi Amaechi›s «structures of primary and secondary schools” to “private universities in the West» while in another, he condemned Aregbesola for erecting «cozy buildings» in Osun! He also goofed when he brazenly accused “a governor in one of the South West states» of being «so obsessed with structures that he demolishes old school structures». We challenge our friend to come real on those schools that were ‘demolished’ and the reasons behind their demolition. To the best of my knowledge, no school was demolished for the building of DTTC Middle School in Ijebu-Jesa; and I doubt if any «old school structure» was removed in Osogbo to pave the way for Osogbo Government High School. On ‹school uniform’, I believe that has been sufficiently addressed in Bola Bolawole›s column (See Sunday Tribune, August 6, 2017).

Let Adedayo also note that more than 12,000 new teachers were hired in 2012 to replace those who quit the service due to their disinterest in the Contributory Pension regime. And, in addition to streamlining and decentralizing the management of education for optimum performance, Aregbesola’s administration has also added 23 Elementary Schools and 22 Middle Schools to the existing structures while 4 out of 12 High Schools structures – all high-capacity schools – are already in use. More than 40 schools have also been completely refurbished in order to enhance the learning environment. The creation of three tutors-General and the about-to-be-created nine Headmaster-General positions, are aimed at paying sufficient attention to the early-stage development of pupils.

Of course, Adedayo failed to tell Nigerians what the once-rejected Awo’s Free Education went through – even in the West – before it eventually became the corner piece. He also erred in branding some states as champions in education! For God›s sake, is he aware that Edo and Ekiti States are far behind in the payment of pension allowances and salaries to their teachers?

Lastly, if Adedayo thinks that erection of «cozy structures” or “construction of roads and bridges” are synonymous with making “substantial billions of naira kick-backs,” then Nigerians are expecting his ‘better ideas.’ But who will take our friend through some tutorials in building technology, especially, with regard to the expansion and contraction characteristics of mud which limit its lifespan to a maximum of 40 years? May principalities and powers, assigned to rubbish our leaders’ efforts, scatter!

*Komolafe writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk) O20, Okenisa Street,  Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.