Ondo State Government has outlawed the distributions of any form of educational materials in public schools by individuals and Non-Governmental Organisations especially for political motive across the state.
The Executive Chairman state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Rt. Hon. Victor Olabimtan gave the directive while commissioning two blocks of four classrooms each built by the Oke Agbe Akoko Progressive Union, (OPU), United States arm, and the Old Students Association of St George’s Anglican Primary School Oke-Agbe Akoko in Akoko North West Local Government Area of the state.
According to Olabimtan, as a responsible institution, the state government “cannot folds its arms and allow unscrupulous people to take advantage of the little kids our the public schools by indoctrinating, inculcating and implanting in their plain minds wrong values and ethos that are strange to our cherished value system and ways of lives”.
Ondo SUBEB boss gave the directive against the backlash of an incident in one of the primary schools in the state where a donor with ulterior motive used the occasion of distribution of free exercise books to pupils to cast a rabid aspersions on the authority, and teaching the young minds wrong values.
To nib this in the bud and to safeguard the mental ability of the pupils for constructive engagements, Olabimtan has directed all head teachersto disallow anybody or organisation from distributing any instructional materials such as note books, biros, rulers or erasers in schools without the written authority of the Board.
According to the SUBEB boss, anyone or organisation #wishing to donate or distribute instructional materials to pupils in any ublic primary school in the state must write to seek the Board permission before embarking on such exercise which must be done under a new process.
“Having obtained the formal approval, which must be rooted through the Education Secretary in the Local Government, the donor must hand over the materials to be distributed to the headteachers in the presence of the representatives pupils’, preferably the Head Boy and Head Girl who will in turn distribute the materials to the pupils”.
That protocol, Olabimtan said, is to prevent the donors, especially those with ulterior motives from having direct access and contacts with the young minds in order not to pollute their minds.
While appealing to the school administrators to be on their guard because perilious political time, the former Speaker of the state State House of Assembly, called on politicians to leave the little children out of their antics to win votes because the pupils not of voting age
Olabimtan, who equally enjoined head teachers and teachers as public servants to eschew partisan politics, also appealed to politicians to stop corrupting the young minds of their selfish ambitions.
The SUBEB boss Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for his contributions to the development of the education sector, especially finding fund to pay Universal Basic Education Commission counterparts fund for 2012 to 2016 that his predecessor could not access.
According to him, it was the fund that the government has been using to change the narrative of the state of the basic education sector in the state for the better.
While commending both OPU and the Old Students Association of St. George’s Anglican Primary School Oke-Agbe Akoko for their philanthropic gesture in restoring their alma mater to an enviable standard, Olabimtan promised to personally report the good news to the Governor who, he believes, would send a letter of appreciations to the two organisations on behalf of the state government
He used the occasion to call on other Old Students Associations and Community Development Associations to emulate the kind gesture of their counterpart in Oke Agbe Akoko, who he described as shining examples of responsible citizens both in the state and in the country at large
He appealed to the head teacher and the pupils of the school to make the best of the facilities in order to achieve its essence.
Earlier, OPU President, Mr Joseph Dahunsi and Engr Bayo Adeniyi of Old Students Association commended their members for their swift responses to the call to rebuild the old structures blown off by rainstorm in 2021. They promised to continue to do their best for the Oke-Agbe Akoko community.
Both projects, which consist of two blocks of classroom of four each, staff rooms and conveniences under construction, cost both organisations N24 million to complete.
