Privatization of Schs: OYSG “planning to rubbish Awolowo’s legacy” – Accord Party

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By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
The Accord Party in Oyo State has kicked against the alleged plan by the state government to facilitate the Public/Private Partnership and ownerships of secondary schools in the state.
Accord Party in a statement issued in Ibadan by its State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran made available to journalists, described the plan as “an act of rubbishing the Chief Obafemi Awolowo legacy in Education bequeathed to the states of Old Western Region which successive governments have been keeping afloat for decades and other regions have been emulating and which was also amplified by the administration of Late Chief Bola Ige as the Governor of the Old Oyo State in 1979”.
The party stressed that the planned Public/Private Partnership and ownerships of secondary schools in Oyo State was “a clear demonstration of the unprogressive nature and anti-people stance” of Governor Ajimobi’s government.
“Oyo State Chapter of Accord has condemned in its totality, the plan of Oyo State government under the leadership of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to facilitate the Public/Private Partnership and ownerships of secondary schools in Oyo State. This new concept will no doubt return the schools to Private Managers whose major concern shall be to profit at the expense of affordable education to all and sundry as this will bring about the introduction of exorbitant school fees which will further aggravate the pains and sufferings of the common people,” it said.
According to the party, the present attempt by the same Governor Ajimobi led “government is to make education available to only the children of the rich and the affluent which runs counter to the spirit and contents of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended”, saying “one needs not be surprised because Governor Ajimobi had earlier stated that his much publicised but still born Technical University was not meant for the children of the poor”.
Accord Party stressed further that the present government in Oyo state has been characterized by negative educational policies since its inception, adding, “the government after wasting more than N100 on a jamboree called ‘Education Summit’ at inception, ended up becoming the first government that will stop the payment of WAEC fees of the Oyo State students and later introduced the payment of fees in our schools which is unprecedented in this democratic dispensation”.
“The present government of Oyo State under Governor Ajimobi has failed woefully in its social responsibility to the people and the current action is suggestive of an abdication of responsibility on the part of the state government.
The party while advising “Governor Ajimobi to resign from office if he has been so overwhelmed and can no longer cope” having lost touch with the good people of Oyo state asked all stakeholders in Education in the state to “roundly reject this anti-people policy and prevent it from being foisted on the good people of Oyo state”.
“For the labour of our heroes past not to be in vain, especially that of the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the architect and the initiator of free education scheme in Nigeria, all stakeholders in Education should roundly reject this anti-people policy and prevent it from being foisted on the good people of Oyo state”.
The party however charged “well meaning people of Oyo State across political and religious divides both at home and in diaspora to join hands to check this executive recklessness and impunity and salvage Oyo State and extricate the State from the claws of oppressive regime of Governor Ajimobi so that our future and those of the unborn children will not be mortgaged because education remains the best legacy which parents can give to their children and as such it should not be made elusive to the common people”.

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