Oyo Govt Laments Poor Performance in Public Exams, Stops Automatic Promotion Policy

Sakin Babalola,Ibadan

The Oyo State Government has said that it would not renege on its decision to stop automatic promotions in public secondary schools in the state saying that its decision to reform the education sector would be pursued rigorously until it yields positive results.

The state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun said this at the weekend while featuring on Saturday Special, a weekend magazine programme of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).

Arulogun said that it was unacceptable for Oyo state to occupy the rung of the ladder positions in the senior school certificate examinations (WAEC and NECO) when it should be setting the pace, stressing that the state is known for many firsts and her education sector should be the benchmark for others.

The government spokesman said that the on-going reforms in the education sector was inevitable because of the consistent high number of failures in WAEC Examinations which is a key yardstick for performance measurement, adding that no amount of protests would deter the state from changing its stand on the no automatic promotion policy  in public secondary schools in the state.

According to him, “We cannot encourage automatic promotion with the woeful performance of our students in examinations in the last 15 years.  The statistics we have from the Ministry of Education strongly support the state government’s stance.

“In the Year 2008, 61,232 sat for the exam, 5,608 passed, Year 2009 60,444 sat for the exam, 7,204 passed. Year 2010, 65,330 sat for the exam, 8,757 passed, in   2011, 72,559 sat for the exam and 12,314 passed while in 2012, there were 75, 179 candidates and 12,314 passed.

“The situation has been the same in the last three years. In 2013, 74,319 wrote the exams, 16,049 passed, in the year 2014, 77,685 sat for the exam and 16,197 passed and in  2015, there were 78,897 candidates and  17,051 passed. The step to sustain the cancellation of automatic promotion was taken in the overall interest of the public. We must give our children quality education”.

Arulogun emphasized quoting information from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

In a similar vein, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela has assured teachers and students in the state public schools of maximum security in schools, saying that security men and the National Association of Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) Oyo State chapter have been alerted on the need to protect and monitor schools in the state.

Olowofela, while on an on the spot assessment to Oba Akinbiyi High School II Mokola Ibadan following the incident of an assault on a teacher of the school by a man who is said to be mentally derailed, reiterated that the Ajimobi led administration keeps the welfare and security of the people in the front burner.

The commissioner said the government frowned at the attitude of a minute section of students who embarked on protests in Oyo town over the no automatic promotion policy of the government, advising that parents and guardians should warn their wards to desist from such unwarranted protests.

Professor Olowofela stated that the step was taken in the overall interest of the public, stressing, “It is an established fact that education is the bedrock of individual and societal development and indeed a veritable tool for achieving the growth of any nation. To this end, we must give our children quality education.

He noted that the state government would continue to enforce the no automatic promotion policy in public secondary schools and consequently enjoined parents, teachers and stakeholders to support and adhere strictly to the policy.