The Death of Education in Ogun State and The Scam called Model Schools
Badero Olusola
In June 2013, Governor Amosun made this media statement on the ongoing model schools construction; “Amosun said, last week,“Fifteen model secondary schools are under construction at various locations across the state. The schools were conceptualised to serve the twin objectives of decongesting classrooms in the state. The projects is also the government’s response to the return of major missionary schools to churches by the last administration, which pushed over 22,000 secondary school pupils out of school. The 15 schools are the first set of the 28 model schools being planned by the OGSG.”
In 2011 when Amosun came in, his government accessed a N2billion education support fund called “counterpart funding” – through UBEC/SUBEB. State will pay N1billion to access the FG’s N1billion.
Governor Amosun paid this counterpart fund and was able to get the N1billion which was used in renovating 1,234 (One thousand two hundred and thirty four schools) across the state at the time. That remain the only thing done by Amosun to help education in the state. Others are nothing but deceit and fraud.
Read these scary lies of the governor in 2013 during his mid-term broadcast;
“We allocated between 22 and 25 per cent of our annual budget consistently to education in line with UNESCO’s recommendation; N3.2 bn was expended on the purchase of free textbooks, exercise books and other instructional material distributed to all public primary and secondary school pupils. We also invested N120m on bursary, scholarship and grants to 10, 770 students of Ogun State origin ranging from N100,000 paid to students in the Law School to N10,000 each to pupils with special needs in primary schools. A total sum of N5.44bn was paid as monthly subvention to all our state-owned tertiary institutions since 2011 till date.”
All tissue of lies!
Here is another lie;
Amosun said the reason he’s constructing model schools was because the former government returned the schools to the churches therefore led to 22,000 children out of school. But the same governor was quoted to have said in a state broadcast that, “…total enrolment for the 2010/2011 and 2012/2013 academic sessions indicates that the figure increased from 728,146 to 893,917, an increase of 165,771 or 18.54 per cent”. If we may ask, if our classrooms couldn’t contain the 22,000 out of school children in 2011, where are we accommodating the 165,771 newly enrolled when none of our 15 model school is ready?
Iro lo ba de!
The lie is as authentic as the N5billion subventions every month Amosun claimed to be spending on our tertiary institutions every month. When all our IGR, Federal allocation and others every month is not even up to N5billion.
Now fast forward to 2015;
You will see the attached photos of the completed model schools Amosun is planning to recruit teachers to this year.
Lest I forget, each model school was budgeted to cost N850million and this cost was later reviewed upward to N1.4billion per one and yet, no single one is completed.
On Friday September 18, one Dr. Mrs Aderonke Folarin, Chairman Ogun Civil service commission released a statement in the papers, inviting the interested teachers to come for an examination in Abeokuta on Saturday to be screened for the “Model Schools” teaching jobs.
Here is the newspaper cut-out;
“OGUN SHORTLISTS 3,435 CANDIDATES FOR RECRUITMENT EXAM”
“Ogun State Government has shortlisted 3,435 candidates for recruitment examination into the State Model Colleges slated for tomorrow Saturday 19th September, 2015 beginning from 9:00am.
A statement by the Chairman, Civil Service Commission, Dr. Mrs. Aderonke Folarin disclosed that the written examination organised by the Commission was aimed at testing the competence of the candidates for employment into the Model Colleges across the State.
The Statement enjoined all shortlisted candidates to be at Baptist Girls’ College and Lisabi Grammar School both in Abeokuta, venue of the examination with their calculators and writing materials.”
Where are the Model Schools they were recruiting these teachers for?
Face saving tactic. Iro la banbę (all lies).
Facts checks on Education Sector in Ogun State:
• Primary Education is free but you will pay PTA, buy your books (even though the state government claimed to be giving free books too. That’s a lie)
• Model schools are more visible on papers than on site
• The worst environment for educating your child is located in our remote villages
• Pry 2 pupil can be detained by the school to 9pm at night while he writes his examinations
• Writing questions on the blackboard, three students sharing on question paper is now part of our education reform.
• Classrooms collapse is a daily occurrence, only that they are not being reported
• Ogun state is now at par with the poorest educated States in the North in the last 3 years.
• As a teacher, if you ask for improvement in your welfare from the government, you will lose your job.
• We employ more religious studies teachers than other core subjects like science and maths.
• Snakes and other dangerous reptiles are regular sights in our classrooms, especially schools in the smaller towns
See photos for yourselves!
The scammed 3,435 job seekers, here are your model schools they are recruiting you for
Olusola writes from London, united kingdom.