Mixed reactions have continued to trail the recent delisting
of some secondary schools in Oyo State by the West African Examinations Council
(WAEC).
Information made available revealed that no
fewer than fifty (50) secondary schools in Oyo State have been delisted by the
examination body.
The schools were delisted after the recently conducted
examination.
They included both public and private secondary schools in urban and rural areas.
The 50 schools were removed from the list of schools where
WAEC examinations would be held henceforth due to cases of examination
malpractices.
The affected schools according to the list made available included;
Olodo Community Grammar School, Olodo Ibadan, Community High School, Kasumu
Ajia, Ilupeju Community High School, Alugbo, Osegere Olukeye Community High
School, Osegere, Idi-Ito High School, Erunmu, Owo Community Grammar School,
Owo, Progressive Secondary Grammar School, Community Secondary School,
Oke-Olola, Oyo, Community Grammar School, Kajorepo and Community High School,
Ajase/Jabata, Ogbomoso.
Also in the list are; Anglican/ Methodist Secondary School
1, Ajagba, Oyo, Isepo/Ogidi Community Grammar School, Isepo, Ireti-Ogo Baptist
College, Igboho, Biokun Alaadun Community Grammar School, Ibadan, Lagbulu
Memorial High School, Kisi, Urban Day Grammar School, Old Ife Road, Ibadan,
Urban Day Grammar School, Ring Road, Ibadan, Ansar-Ud-Deen High School, Sango,
Ibadan, Ikolaba High School, Agodi GRA, Ibadan and Renascent High School,
Aremo, Ibadan.
Others are; Ori-Aje Community Secondary School, Kudeti,
Ibadan, Anglican Grammar School, Molete, Ibadan, Community Secondary School,
Adegbayi, Ibadan, Community Secondary School, Bioku Alaadun, Ibadan, Adekile
Goodwill Grammar School, Ibadan, Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan, Ola-David
Comprehensive College, Badeku, Ibadan, Mount Sinai College, Adegbayi, Ibadan,
Temidire Oxford College, Monatan, Ibadan and Ibadan City Model College, Iyana
Church, Ibadan.
Other schools on the list are; Mollyvonne College, Isale
Igbajo, Tede, God’s Blessing College, Oyo, Graceland College, Moniya, Ibadan,
Honeycomb Comprehensive College, Olukeye town, Asejire, Ibadan, I-Flier
College, Ogungbade Road, Ibadan, Sure Foundation Model High School, Aba Titi,
Ibadan, International Muslim College, Saki, Life Line Comprehensive High School
Olopometa, Olorunsogo, Ibadan, Temidire Model School Igidogba Babanla Ibadan
and Glorious College, Amuloko, Ibadan.
The rest are; Igboora Secondary School, Igboora,
Nawair-Ud-deen Grammar School, Igboora, Damcos College, Molete, Ibadan,
Benevolent College, Molete, Ibadan, Sheikh Ibrahim Model College, Ibadan,
Ayobami Comprehensive High School, Odo Oba, Ibadan, Ayobami International
College, Ibadan, Bolade Model College, Owode, Shafaudeen Comprehensive College,
Wakajaye, Ibadan and Patimo College, Adesola, Ibadan.
Our correspondent gathered that the recent development has
attracted mixed reactions from members of the public and other stakeholders.
While some attributed the development to the government’s
inability to improve the standard of education in the State, others are of the
opinion that the State government should not be held responsible.
Some of those who spoke attributed the development to
parents and the students’ failure to shun examination malpractices.
A parent who identified herself as Olaitan said that the
government of the State should not be blamed.
“There is nothing that concerns the government on this. We
have both public and private schools that were affected. If the government is
to be blamed for the abnormality or examination malpractices in public schools,
then can we also blame the government for what happened in private schools?
“We even have schools that are established by religious
bodies. Who are the principals or heads of those schools? Are they not Muslims
or Christians? It shows the level we found ourselves in the country”.
Another parent identified as Adeolu advised the State
government to take drastic steps to avoid future occurrences.
He said that all stakeholders must be blamed for what
happened.
He said, “We cannot totally blame the government, everyone
is involved. The government must take drastic measures to avoid future
occurrences.
“Parents and guardians must also take drastic measures to
discourage their wards from examination malpractices. It is the responsibility
of the students themselves to shun examination malpractices.
“So, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders. We must
put a stop to this menace for us to move forward in Oyo State. We are known as
a pacesetter State and we must continue to uphold the standard”.
We have zero tolerance for examination malpractices- Oyo
government
The State government, disturbed by the development, said
that it has zero tolerance for examination malpractices.
The government said that principals and parents of recently
delisted schools would be sanctioned.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology,
Barrister Abiodun Abdu-Raheem, issued this warning in Ibadan.
Abdu-Raheem, in a statement made available to journalists in
Ibadan, said the State government would sanction both the principals and
parents found wanting.
He insisted that the present government in the State had
zero tolerance for examination malpractices.
“It should be noted that, the Oyo State Government has zero
tolerance for examination malpractices, therefore, Principals and Teachers of
both Private and Public Schools and parents were earlier warned to desist from
any act of collaboration on examination malpractices as sanctions would be
meted to concerned staff and parents.
“It should be noted that the Government of Oyo State will
waste no time to investigate any such occurrence, while the necessary
punishments as enumerated above will be meted to anyone found guilty,” he said.
Don’t sanction principals, parents- APC tells government
However, the major opposition political party in the State,
All Progressives Congress (APC) in its reaction said that what happened is an
indication that schools have become haven for examination malpractices under
the current governor of the State, Engineer Seyi Makinde.
APC made this disclosure through a statement signed by its
Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare.
Sadare in the statement made available to DAILY POST in
Ibadan described the delisting of the schools by WAEC as unacceptable and
worrisome.
He alleged that education and other critical sectors in the
State have been experiencing and recording misfortunes since Makinde came to
power in May 2019.
He further alleged that Makinde repeatedly fed the world
with lies about people from the United Kingdom, United States and Canada
bringing their children and wards for enrollment in the State.
He explained that the population of pupils increases
everyday but there are no new classrooms to accommodate them in the State.
“Little did the people realise that Oyo state had gotten
into the wrong hands when the present PDP administration of Governor Seyi
Makinde began to paint a picture of success in the education sector at an early
stage when they ought to have outlined policies and programmes capable of
improving the standard they met on ground. Gov. Makinde and some sponsored
agents went to town to mislead the world with wrong information.
“At a point, they repeatedly fed the world with lies about
people from United Kingdom, United States, Canada among other developed nations
bringing their children and wards for enrollment in Oyo State because,
according to them, the superman in the governor had turned all the public
primary and secondary schools into ivy league colleges when; in fact, the only
thing done was the sensational cancellation of N1,000 per term payment by
students in secondary schools- an idea initiated by Abiola Ajimobi
administration to aid the laudable activities of the School Governing Boards”.
Sadare warned the State government against taking any step
to sanction principals, teachers and parents of candidates of the affected
schools.
He said, “How can a government which had earlier claimed
credit for a fake glory in the education sector now turn round to blame its
staff for a manifestation of rot in the same system? If any government would
blame only the Principals, teachers and parents for examination malpractices in
our schools, it must not be the one that is popular for socio-economic and
political malpractices. How can a man who has turned his own house into a store
where he stocks bags of dried maize stolen from his employer’s farmland blame
his wife for the presence of rodents in his living room?
“The virus of examination malpractices has been with us in
this society for some decades now but the rate at which it permeates the school
system in Oyo State in the last three and a half years leaves much to be
desired. Meanwhile, the surge cannot be blamed on any other one than the
present PDP administration since it craves encomiums from all and sundry
without readiness to provide the required funds for the smooth and effective
running of the system”.
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