A call has gone to the Oyo State government to use the occasion of the ongoing Training the Trainers Workshop for private school owners in the state to get more private schools registered and approved.
The Chairman, Committee on Education in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Oluwafemi Oluwafowokanmi made the call while speaking on the decision of the state government to stop unregistered schools from reopening on July 6 as planned by the state government.
As a part of the precautions for safe reopening of schools, the state government organized a Train the Trainers Workshop on Safety Measures and Approaches for Containment of COVID-19 in Schools.
The lawmaker, representing Ibadan South West constituency 2, opined that the option of accommodating unregistered schools is another opportunity for the government to increase the state’s Internally Generated Revenue base.
Hon. Fowokanmi, while speaking on the floor of the House called on the Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin and members of the legislative arm of government to prohibit the step taken by the state’s Ministry of Education to stop unregistered private schools from reopening, said that the step is capable of costing the state another educational pandemic.
He explained that if the government decides to stop unregistered private schools from reopening many pupils who are supposed to be in the school will be roaming about. Hon. Fowokanmi added that the idea will lead to educational retrogression of the state as against the blueprint of Governor Seyi Makinde led government on educational development.
The lawmaker enjoined the Ministry of Education to create different grades of standard for private schools’ registration to a certain least standard and give them opportunity and encourage them to grow gradually to full standard.
According to him, “In this respect Mr. Speaker, it is my opinion that government should use this opportunity to capture many unregistered private schools in the state through inclusive participatory order. This will go a long way in assisting the government to unveil many unregistered ones from their hideout, and also aid in generating revenue for the government at this present time, where every government needs funds to make economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I want to implore this honourable House to join me in preventing the possible educational pandemic which order issued by the state’s Ministry of Education may cause,” the Education Committee Chairman stated.
Hon. Fowokanmi advised the government to re-address the issue of prohibition order to allow proprietors and proprietresses of the unregistered schools to participate in the ongoing Training the Trainers Workshop so that they will have knowledge on safety measures and approaches to containment of COVID-19 in their respective schools and also be cleared for the reopening on July 6.
