Mass Failure: Osun Govt Issues Queries To Five Suspended School Principals

Osun State Government has issued queries to five suspended school principals of Baptist High School,  Adeeke in Iwo over mass failure of pupils of the school.

The Executive Chairman,  Osun State Education Quality Assurance and Morality Enforcement Agency, Dr. Isiaka Owoade disclosed this to newsmen in Osogbo.

He said that the suspended principals had responded to the queries and that the agency is looking at their answers to the query.

Owoade explained that the agency has set up assessment team to probe the cause of mass failure of the pupils of the school in the last five years.

He stated that finding of the agency would be made public in due course.

It would be recalled that Owoade ordered the suspension of the principals when he paid unscheduled visit to the school in Iwo.

He lamented the mass failure of the pupils of the school noting that it was worrisome and amounted to dereliction of duty on the part of the school principals.

While noting that the state government will not condone indiscipline,  poor productivity, ineffectiveness of public officers to duty and dereliction of duty, Owoade also said it is an act of sabotage on the part of the suspended public officers that despite huge resources the state government has invested into the education in the state, some principals were still comfortable with the low record of pupils at external examinations.

It was gathered that no single student of the school pass any subject in the recent 2017 external examinations including WASC and NECO, a development which angered Owoade and asked the principals to proceed on suspension immedtaietly.

According to him,  “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 of the school in external examinations between 2012 and 2017 is extremely poor with a pass rate at 2.8% in 2016 and 0% in 2017 of candidate having 5credits including English Language 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”

While warning that “Poor productivity will no longer be tolerated in Osun schools”  Owoade said, “the few school principals that think their students should be punished for the inadequacies that we are currently experience are advised to have a change of heart”

Owoade further explained that the inspection visit to the school was part of the routine visit by his agency assuring that the government will probe the matter and get to root of the problem.

He declared that the suspension was not meant to punish the principals unjustifiably but to allow the government get to the it cause of the problem and apply corrective measures.

According to him, we want to get to the root of the matter if it is the principals, if it is the teachers or the pupils themselves.

He therefore enjoined other principals and teachers who are major stakeholders to cooperate with the government to achieve a desirable objectives.

He expressed appreciation to majority of principals that are hard working and have the interest of their pupils at heart, not minding the challenges confronting the education system at the moment.