Teachers employed by Oyo State have disclosed that their schools have been experiencing influx of students from Kwara, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun State. They attribute the influx to the rising quality of education in the state.
The revelation was made on Thursday at Eruwa, during the inauguration of Governor Seyi Makinde (GSM) Teachers’ Vanguard, Ibarapa zone, where education stakeholders, under the aegis of All Nigerian Confederation of Secondary School Teachers (ANCOPSS), Nigeria Union of Teachers (N.U.T), Association of Primary School Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), Non-Academic Staff Union, GSM Fans, Teachers Ambassadors’ Group, Omituntun Teachers Vanguard among others were all present.
The congregation at the venue was made up of teachers from Ibarapa East local government, Eruwa, Ibarapa North local government, Ayete and Ibarapa Central local government, Igboora.
Oladejo Oyebamiji, the first vice chairman of ANCOPSS, said in her goodwill address during the inauguration that teachers from the neighboring states were suffering from inadequate salary payment while some also got half salary monthly.
Oyebamiji noted that the strides of Governor Seyi Makinde in making the education sector in the state more conducive and prosperous have attracted parents to transfer their wards from Kwara, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo to Oyo State schools.
“When you talk of teachers’ welfare, promotion with financial backing, free education programme, these have endeared many parents and guardians to transfer their wards from these aforementioned states to Oyo State, they are not doing this not just because of the free education, but because of the notable turnaround in education development in Oyo State.
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“Teachers have suffered stagnated promotion for years before the coming of the present administration, today Governor Makinde has offset the promotions as well as many years of unpaid gratuities of workers.”
She added that teachers have resolved to go out in their numbers to vote for the incumbent governor instead of working as Presiding Officers, Polling Clerks among others for the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2023 elections.
The Head of the Oyo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Eruwa Zone, Babatunde Oyinloye said the aggregated bodies of teachers and interest groups in Ibarapa land have decided unanimously, to work for the success of the second term ambition of Governor Seyi Makinde.
While listing the achievements of the present administration in the State, Oyinloye hinted that the success has increased the students’ enrollment rate in the State, adding that the performance of students in public examinations has moved from 26th position to 11th position within the first two years of the Makinde’s government.
The State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Wasiu Olatubosun, while reacting to appreciations from different groups, said the success achieved by the administration within the first term of Seyi Makinde would be little, in comparison to the second term achievements.
“Our teachers today are enjoying the dividends of real democracy, same for the generality of workers who have been paid over N15billion as gratuities that were owed before the coming of the present administration.
“Schools today and students’ performances are different from what we used to experience, we need to work like never before to make sure our amiable Governor is voted in for a second term, it is for the good of us all,” Olatubosun emphasized.
