The Oyo State Government has urged education secretaries to strive to impart discipline, sound morals and religious diversity and tolerance within their local government’s universal basic education authorities for the overall good of the state.
The Chairman of Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB), Dr Nureni Aderemi Adeniran gave this advice at a meeting with education secretaries today, said their duties were not just about academics, but as vehicles for instilling moral values in their subordinates.
The Adeniran noted that education secretaries, their teaching and non-teaching staff must be disciplined to be able to impart sound morals and discipline to schoolchildren, stressing that the state would not tolerate religious intolerance.
Pointing out that religious bigotry would not be tolerated in the State public schools, the chairman observed that every religion and law protects the life of every citizen, adding that no pupil must be coerced into a belief system he/she finds unpersuasive.
“It is important that each education secretary must be self-disciplined, otherwise they will lose the right to discipline others, as immediate role models to others”, he added.
Adeniran, while commenting on the gross inadequacy of teachers in public schools hinted that there may be a redistribution of teachers across the state.
The education administrator noted that there is an urgent need to correct the lopsidedness of teachers’ deployment in Oyo State, added that an intra-local government distribution would aid education in the state.
He, therefore, charged each education secretary to compile lists of teachers in each school under their supervision and the enrollment in each school.
He warned education secretaries and teachers against extortion or imposition of unauthorised levies on students, noting that offenders would be sanctioned.
Adeniran reiterated that the Oyo State Government would not condone any corrupt practices by any education secretary or headteacher.
Adeniran, who also hinted that the Oyo State Government has completed hundreds of school projects across all local governments, said that the Oyo State Government would soon embark on the completion of some abandoned projects, adding that most of the projects were abandoned by contractors hired by the past administration in the State.
