Osun Govt Suspends Five Principals Of Baptist High School, Iwo

By Olabode Abolaji

The Osun State Government has suspended all the five principals of the Baptist High School, Iwo.

 

A statement by the Executive Chairman, Osun Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, Dr Isiaka Ayodele Owoade on his official Facebook page said the move was imperative because of their poor productivity, ineffective leadership and dereliction of duty.

According to Owoade, the action taken during an unscheduled visit to the school was also carried out because of the poor performance of students in external examinations with only 13 out of the 1688 students that sat for external examinations between 2012 and 2015 in the school passed.

The Executive Chairman of the State Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency noted that the government places premium on the outstanding performance of public school students stressing that anything below par will not be condoned.

“Following my unscheduled visit to Baptist High School Iwo, all the five principals of the school have been suspended with immediate effect for poor productivity, ineffective leadership and dereliction of duty. Records showed this as a failing school with extremely poor performance in external examination with a pass rate at 2.8% in 2016 and 0% in 2017 of candidates earning 5+ credits including English and Mathematics. Between 2012 and 2015, a total of 1688 students passed out of the school and only 13 passed.”

“This is woeful. My responsibility is to ensure that our students are properly taught  to ensure that they pass their examinations. I enjoin our principals and teachers as major stakeholders to cooperate with us to achieve this objective. I thank the majority of our principals that are hard working and have the interest of their pupils at heart, not minding the challenges confronting the system at the moment. The few that think their students should be punished for the inadequacies that we currently experience are advised to have a change of heart. Poor productivity will no longer be tolerated.”

However, those who reacted to the posts blamed the situation on the state government. A Facebook user, Oyedeji Kayode was of the view that even if poor productivity is not a good tide in public service, it has to be done in a manner and atmosphere that government is capable of fulfilling its immediate responsibility.

His words “It is good to punish poor productivity. However, it is also important to state that the current system is not working and operators lack confidence in it. I have spoken to several teachers in Ilesa, they simply don’t believe there is a system programmed to deliver on quality education. In my Old School, you see several motor cycle used by students, by mid-day, they jump on them and return home. Teachers are weary of them. Cultism is more endemic in Osun high schools than can be imagined. The system is not working. Yes, there are better classrooms in some selected schools, the morale is low, understanding of government approach is low, motivation is low and indeed, commitment is very low.

 Bukola Zainab Ojewale who saw the post also said “Isiaka Ayodele Owoade, I wish i have more details about the school and the administration in order to have basis for proper response to your decision about the principals. Dr. Isiaka Ayodele Owoade, How could anyone lead successfully at any workplace in the state of Osun today. The morale can’t be lower and I can’t stop wondering how they manage to wake up and go to work daily. Teaching is not just a profession, it is a mission and dedicated service, a troubled mind can’t deliver in the classroom and what can the principal do. I have spoken to three different people today, 2 lawyers and 1 doctor in the  service of government of Osun, the tale was not encouraging. How do you expect them to perform at optimal level?”

“I am glad that you have had the priviledge of living in a Western industrialized country where you adopted some of your policies, please are the condition of service the same. Whoever that want to come to equity should come with a clean hand. We lack moral justification to accuse our employees of ” poor productivity, ineffective leadership and dereliction of duty” in the state of Osun. If you are not able to take care of your basic needs much less of your family, would you have motivation to inspect schools. Please tell me how many of your children (Political appointees and elected officers) are in these schools. Infact, how many of them are in Nigeria. It is totally unacceptable for you to come here and pretend as if you and your people really care about our children. You need to address the problem with sincerity and not making scapegoat of anyone. I can take you to many schools where i can never understand how anyone is working in such a deplorable condition not to think of learning.”