The governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Oyo State, Saheed Oladele, has criticised Governor Seyi Makinde’s performance in the education sector, accusing his administration of neglecting public schools and failing to address the state’s out-of-school children problem.
Oladele, who spoke during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, said the governor had performed below expectations in education, questioning the state government’s commitment to improving educational standards.
“Our governor has performed far below expectation in the area of education,” he said.
The AAC candidate added: “Sometimes I feel like, is our government waging a war against education? Because I do not understand.”
Oladele, an educationist and founder of Erudite Group of Schools, said the state government’s focus on paying teachers’ salaries was insufficient to demonstrate progress in the sector.
He argued that the quality of primary education deserved greater attention, warning that weaknesses at the foundational level could undermine students’ academic development.
“But as an educationist, I know that the primary education, if the foundation is faulty, there’s nothing you can build on it,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the condition of public primary schools in the state, urging residents to assess the facilities and the learning environment available to pupils.
“Go and check. You will cry for whoever has children in our public primary schools in Oyo State today. You will cry,” he said.
The governorship candidate also questioned whether teachers would be willing to enrol their own children in the public schools where they work.
“Even the teachers that teach in these primary schools, can they put their own kids there?” he asked.
Oladele said his assessment of the education sector was informed by his own experience, explaining that his background had shown him the importance of quality primary and secondary education.
“My mother is a paper trader. I used to hawk paper on the streets of Ibadan.
“If I’m here today talking to you as a first-class graduate of the first and the acclaimed best university in Nigeria, as we speak, that means that I got some quality education when I was in my primary and my secondary school.”
He questioned the state government’s emphasis on paying teachers’ salaries as evidence of its achievements in education.
“But the major thing that our government is using to campaign in the area of education is payment of salaries to teachers, as if it’s doing them a favour,” he said.
Oladele said an administration’s responsibility should extend beyond paying salaries to improving teaching quality, providing appropriate facilities and ensuring that schools have the resources needed to deliver effective education.
“So I am going to be working on education of the state in terms of quality delivery, in terms of giving, in terms of faculty, putting the right faculty in place, in terms of putting the right equipment in place,” he said.
He also expressed concern about the number of children who remain outside the school system in Oyo State, describing the situation as inconsistent with the state’s educational heritage.
“Oyo State cannot have the first, you need the premier university in Nigeria and still have the largest percentage of out-of-school children in southwestern Nigeria. That is an irony,” he said.
Oladele said his administration would seek to encourage more children to enrol in school, including through incentives aimed at improving confidence in public education.
“So if it takes a government to entice these children to be back in classrooms, we should do it,” he said.
He proposed providing incentives to public school teachers who enrol their children in public schools, arguing that such a policy could encourage teachers to demand better standards.
“For example, if I say as a public school teacher, if you enrol your child in a public school, you are going to have a gift from the government.”
He added that improving the quality of public education would help ensure that teachers’ children benefited from the same standards of schooling as other pupils.
Oladele said his priority would be to improve the state’s education system and reduce the number of children who are not attending school.
“So that is why I believe that whatever it takes me, I want to get Oyo State off that map.
“Map of out-of-school children. I don’t want us to be there.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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