Steer clear of partisan politics, Ajimobi charges school principals
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has charged principals of public secondary schools in the state to discharge their professional assignments with mindsets devoid of political partisanship and acts unbecoming of school principals.
He gave the charge while declaring open the 35th congress of the state branch of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) at Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan on Thursday.
The governor, who said that the charge had become necessary in view of the 2015 electioneering lurking around the corner, said “politics should be left to politicians so that our present level of friendship and progress will be sustained beyond the year 2015.’’
While acknowledging their strategic roles in the development of the education sector in the state, he said that his administration had been partnering and synergizing with ANCOPSS on how to build an Oyo State of his dream.
“Our administration regards education, not only as a social service but the best heritage that could be bequeathed to our children as leaders of tomorrow, hence, the prioritization of the provision of education as a right of every child and youth of Oyo State,’’ he said.
Governor Ajimobi recalled the various suggestions put across by the state ANCOPSS on how to provide quality education for the people of the state without unduly antagonizing government, stressing that the synergy and partnership had led to his administration’s modest achievements in the education sector.
He listed some of the achievement to include the halting of the downward slope in the education sector by returning the state to its enviable position in external examinations such as WAEC, NABTEB and NECO as well as the construction of new schools and renovation of some of the old but dilapidated ones across the state.
Others, according to him, include supply of thousands of pieces of furniture for both staff and students to enhance teaching and learning activities in public schools across the state, supply of textbooks in core subject areas of Mathematics, English Language, the Sciences, Basic Technology and entrepreneurial areas.
“Our children continue to enjoy tuition-free education in the State while government has approved massive construction of model schools in Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Saki and other areas in the state,’’ he said, adding that all categories of teachers in the state had benefited from the N1 billion Wema Bank loan approved by the state government.
Besides, Governor Ajimobi disclosed that secondary school teachers had been enjoying the newly-enhanced N500,000 car loan and N1,000,000 housing loan from the state government and they they were also major beneficiaries of the recently-approved enhanced salary package (with 27.5% professional allowance) by his administration.
“The synergy and rapport between the state government and the State branch of ANCOPSS has secured the approval of appointment of the immediate Past President of ANCOPSS, Chief Adeniyi Falade, as a Permanent Secretary (School Administration) in charge of Oyo Zonal office of TESCOM,’’ he said, adding that similar vacancies in Ogbomoso and Eruwa would be filled in due course.
He said that the appointment of new teachers into secondary and primary schools had also been effected and that letters of appointment would soon be given to them to enable them resume work as soon as schools in the state reopen for the 2014/2015 academic session.
“The state government has released brand new NISSAN buses to both the State ANCOPSS and the State NUT to ease and enhance their movements the course of their official and professional assignments,’’ he said.
Governor Ajimobi advised the organization to allow internal democracy to pervade the state congress, pointing out that the stability of ANCOPSS was the stability of secondary education in the state.
In her address, the outgoing President of ANCOPSS, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Ojoawo, commended the support of the Ajimobi administration towards the achievements of the organization, praising the governor for lifting the ban on running grants to secondary schools and providing enhanced salary for teachers in the state.
