Opinion: Continuity and Change In Osun’s Education Policies, By Niyi Akinnaso
A major lesson from these developments is the need for governments to seek the cooperation of stakeholders and, as much as possible, to base policies on citizens’ needs and demands, rather than on what is considered by politicians to be beneficial to the people, no matter how well intentioned. This is especially true of policies, such as education policies…
A government appointed Review Committee recently suggested broad changes to several education policies in the State of Osun. The changes affect school uniforms; the reclassification, mixing, merging, and renaming of schools; the management of the Model High Schools; early childhood education; and the structure of the Ministry of Education.
Two, many of the new policies were driven by the dual need to provide employment and training for Osun youths, while also generating income for the State. For example, the construction of Model Schools provided immediate employment for construction workers, while the Garment Factory provided both employment and training. Similarly, school feeding provided employment for caterers and nutrition for school kids in the vulnerable 6-9 age grades.
As indicated above, the agitation for change preceded the present administration and endured during the governorship campaign, when the voters knew that a new administration was coming on board. It was this agitation that led ace political reporter, Seun Okinbaloye, to pose the above question to Oyetola during the governorship debate.
It was at this point that the governor set up an internal committee, headed by the deputy governor, to review all requests for changes in the education policies. It was this committee that distilled the various requests into eleven critical ones. The governor subsequently presented the eleven requests to a Technical Committee for its recommendations.
Two, the common school uniform for all schools made it difficult to identify pupils or students with particular schools, especially where there were security breaches. It is unclear whether the Review Committee ever considered the possibility of adding labels such as badges to distinguish between schools, as in the United Kingdom.
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