The Osun State Government has attributed the large number of out-of-school children in the state to the neglect of the education sector during the administration of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
The state government has also revealed that it is planning to recruit 6,000 teachers into the public primary and secondary schools in the state before the end of June 2024.
The state government spoke in a statement released by Kolapo Alimi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, on Sunday.
He said the recruitment is part of the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration’s three-pronged approach to redressing the deficit in the education sector in Osun State.
The former governor, Oyetola, had on Saturday alleged that the high number of out-of-school-children was due to the sacking of teachers recruited by his administration.
Oyetola had in the twilight of his administration recruited teachers into the public primary and secondary schools in the state.
He also recruited medical and health workers into public health facilities.
Adeleke on assumption of office in November 2022, through an Executive Order, had sacked 1,500 teachers and health workers recruited by the Oyetola administration.
Alimi, in the statement, added that Oyetola’s allegation was an insult to the people of the state.
He also posited that education in the state suffered neglect under the last administration.
“It is on records that the last administration in a series of post-election bobby traps employed over 10,000 workers to make the state ungovernable for the incoming Adeleke government, a development the new government promptly addressed with six executive orders to restore normalcy.
“If the former Governor was interested in addressing the rot in the education sector, how come he waited till he lost the election before rushing through recruitment of teachers against due process and extant laws?
“If the so-called recruited teachers were retained, how would that have positively impacted poor learning conditions, dilapidated school infrastructures, parental economic crisis and overwhelming dislocations within the school environment which are the real reasons for the high number of out-of-school children inherited from Oyetola government?
“As part of efforts to clear the mess of past government, the state government organized an education summit which proffered far-reaching recommendations covering all sub-sectors of the state education system.
“A white paper has now been approved by the state Executive Council for the implementation of the recommendations of the summit,” the statement said.
Alimi also posited that Adeleke’s administration embarked on holistic reform of the education sector by addressing the three key determinants of educational performance.
“They are namely teachers’ welfare, learning environment and learning materials, noting that the administration is simultaneously implementing measures on the three areas.”
