The governorship candidate of the National Interest Party, NIP in Oyo State, Mrs. Bolanle Sarumi-Aliyu has appealed to the leadership of the Federation of Oyo State Students’ Union to be peaceful and orderly as they embark on a protest against the unfavourable educational policies in the state as well as the continuous strike in state-owned tertiary institutions in the state.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday, Sarumi-Aliyu disclosed that the welfare of students will be one of the things she will make paramount when she becomes the Governor of Oyo State in 2019. She also frowned at the dangerous dimension the education of the future generation of the state has attained.
“It is rather saddening that qualitative education is fast going beyond the reach of the average citizens and their children. It is even more saddening that those taking education away from the average citizens were themselves either awarded scholarships or beneficiaries of free education scheme when they were younger”, Sarumi-Aliyu stated.
Sarumi-Aliyu, a female governorship candidate in Oyo State pointed out that “for more than two years, undergraduates of the Ladoke Akintola University, (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso remained on one level while their mates in other universities were graduating and entering the labour market.
She said “apart from being unable to find a lasting solution to the LAUTECH imbroglio, thereby irredeemably wasting the time of affected students, other state-owned tertiary institutions have gone on strike over unpaid salaries.
“When we take over the reins of power, things will change in the education sector. Needless hike in tuition fees, overcrowding of students in lecture rooms and imposition of illegal fees on students in the name of boosting the state’s internally generated revenue will become history”.
She also promised that her administration will pay lecturers as and when due and also ensure that students get bursary awards regularly. “We will also allow students to have a voice in how the education sector is run. My government will regularly hold discussions with students’ representatives to effectively tackle the crisis within the education sector without ignoring the problems from the perspective of the students. After all, students are the reasons teachers are employed. They are therefore the key factor in the education system”.
