‘Why we scrapped N3,000 levy in Oyo schools’

Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan

Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday warned those he described ‘saboteurs’ in the state’s education sector to desist, saying that his administration will not take it lightly with anyone caught flouting government’s directives and policies in the sector.

The governor alleged that N3,000 was being collected from each student in public schools across the state before he came into office.

Makinde made this disclosure while speaking at the inauguration of N50million school hall donated to Ilora Baptist Grammar School, Ilora by an old student, Mr. Remi Oyekola.

The event was witnessed by top government functionaries, members of school management, old students, staff, traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, parents and students of the school.

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While lamenting that many people had continued to hide under the guise of his administration’s scrapping of the N3,000 levy on students to perpetrate various atrocities, the governor said he was aware that politicians preferred patching things, but he would rather continue the reengineering process he began on May 29, 2019, until the entire educational system of the state was completely transformed.

He also hinted that his decision to employ more teachers in the state was to put an end to the recurring teacher inadequacy in public schools, a problem which he said predated his administration.

Makinde commended the donor of the building, Oyetola as well as the old students association for the various ways they had been contributing to the development of the 56-year-old school, adding that although his administration would allow parents and willing individuals to contribute to improving the educational sector, he would not allow anyone to impose any levy on the students under the guise of supporting the school.

“For the PTAs or the N3,000 per students being paid, what we met on ground when we came to government was that the whole thing was a huge fraud.So, anyone who may be nursing the ambition of frustrating our programmes and the things we have for education in Oyo State, we are in the same battle,” Makinde said.