Mayhem in schools: Ministry of education identifies one contributory factor, as education centre is shut
Jeremiah OYELEKE
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“We have kept on wondering why the number of students on the enrolment submitted by our public secondary schools often
don’t correspond with what is on the ground!” A source at the ministry of education Ogbomoso zonal office informed ogbomosoinsightonline.com recently.
The source lamented that often time, particularly mentioning SS 3 classes, the number given to us usually falls below what is found out when we go to schools to do physical counting of the students.
Continuing, the source stated, “After digging into the matter we discovered that most students don’t register in their schools any longer, they would go and register for external exams in other schools particulalry at private schools and in village schools considered miracle centres.”
Investigations by ogbomosoinsightonline.com further revealed that students in SS 1 and SS 2 are also now in haste and so have joined in this craze. A teacher who did not want his name in print said. “It is true that is what is rampant now. Students in SS 1 and SS 2 classes don’t want to wait till SS3 and so they seek shortcut by enrolling in other schools especially private schools for WAEC and NECO. There are many schools willing to take them in as long as they meet their request financially.
“This is one of the major causes of the recent spike in truancy in schools which has degenerated into violent clashes among the students. Such students after they had succeeded in registering for external exams in other schools won’t go there to attend classes, instead they would be loitering in their former schools causing mayhem. That is an issue the government needs to look into.”
On Monday, officials of the ministry of education during a routine monitoring of schools, it was learnt, found a centre at Olopemarun area of Ogbomoso, which was subsequently ordered closed after students of different public schools were found congregated at what was discovered later to be a private exam centre.
“Our officials were just passing by when they noticed a building full of children of school age. So, they walked in, when the students were asked of their schools, they started mentioning names of schools in the neighbourhood, which gave us an inkling of what was happening and why the number on enrolment is always higher than those on ground in public schools.”
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The ministry has subsequently ordered the centre closed after it was discovered it’s not approved. However, when the proprietor of the centre (names withheld) was contacted he said they were students who had passed out and seeking to re-sit for WAEC, NECO and JAMB.
When contacted, the Inspector General, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ogbomoso zone, Rev’d Dr. Oyedele Oyedokun, confirmed the development saying the ministry had been duly informed, and that a formal report will be submitted subsequently.
