Some parents in Osun State have decried the low ranking of the state in the recently released ranking for the 2021 West African Examination Council (WAEC).
A 2021 poll ranked Osun State number 36 out of 37 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
A parent, Seyi Adeniyi in a message said the 36th position in the 2021 WAEC ranking, poses a serious danger to the education sector in the state.
While wondering what led to the dismal performance, he advised the incoming administration of Senator Ademola Adeleke to constitute a committee of eggheads to salvage and revamp the critical education sector.
Lamenting that it was a sad development, he asked the administration to try to highlight the factors that contributed to the abysmal performance and proffer workable solutions to them.
A private school proprietor in the state, Goke Omigbodun, was also of the opinion that the subjects uploaded into the tablet of knowledge (Opon Imo) that was launched by the Rauf Aregbesola administration should be made available in hard copy for the students to access.
He was, however, quick to point out that the parameters for the WAEC ranking did not include private schools as most of the private school students in Osun performed excellently in the WAEC graded examination.
Adeleke Steven another resident asked the state government to begin the recruitment of more qualified teachers to fill the vacuum left by retiring ones.
While condemning the last teachers’ recruitment in the state, he asked the state government, not to politicise teachers’ recruitment.
He also stated that the single uniform policy embarked on by the past administration of Aregbesola contributed immensely to the education problem in the state
“Single uniform was not the problem confronting education in the state. Teacher training and recruitment of qualified teachers were lacking.
“The education summit called for by Aregbesola did not compose of any School headmaster, principal or educationist and it did not solve the problem but added to it.”
Some respondents also attributed the malaise in the public education sector in the state to society and the get-rich-quick syndrome of some youths in society.
The Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its reaction asked the Adegboyega Oyetola administration to apologise to the people of Osun State for the alleged destructive handling of the education system which culminated in the very shameful placement.
The party also lamented the distasteful result as a function of the laissez-faire attitude of APC-led administration to education in the state.
They alleged that the party left the all-important sector in the hands of do nothing propagandists, while the proverbial future leaders were having their future inadvertently fogged.
The ranking was part of recent data released by WAEC and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) published by data firm, Statisense.
On Saturday, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) also described the ranking as untrue.
Patrick Areghan, WAEC’s Head of National Office dismissed the claims as misleading, false and the handiwork of mischief makers.
He said the report did not emanate from the Council and added that WAEC does not do state ranking.
Areghan maintained that WAEC only indicated the number of credits in subjects and other categories and does not dabble into areas that are not part of its duty as a council.
