The parents in Ikorodu division at a Parents’ Forum organized by the new Tutor-General and permanent secretary For Education District II, Mr. OlaniyiYinkaGbemi with his Directors during a familiarization visit by parents in the division last Wednesday, March 8, 2017 commended Governor Ambode’s impact on public schools in the state since the inception of his administration but also called for the reversal of ban placed on disciplinary measures in the public schools.
The visit which was held at the Nigerian Union of Teachers, (NUT), Ikorodu branch secretariat located within the premises of the Ikorodu local Government Education Authority Office, Benson, Ikorodu, had the attendance of several dozens of parents and guardians who are members of various parents forums in public schools across Ikorodu division.
Both the executives and members of various parents forums lauded Governor Ambode for making the impact of his government felt in public schools across Ikorodu division and urged him to sustain the efforts to ensure further improvement for the schools.
Mrs. LateefatAwolesi, Parents Forum Chairman of Isiwu Senior Grammar school thanked the Lagos state government for providing solar system in the school which according to her, has ensured steady power supply in the school on daily basis.
She stated that this development has ensured that there is constant light in classrooms to enable students to see clearly when reading and writing.
Another parent from KemeBalogun Senior college, Mrs. OlufunkeOmojuwa thanked the Ambode led administration for introducing after school lesson in public schools which she said has enabled the students to cover more grounds in their studies and that this has consequently improved students academic performances particularly in KemeBalogun, which according to her produced the best student in the 2016 West African Examination Council (WAEC).
A member of the parents’ Forum in Community Junior Secondary School, Bayeiku, Mrs. Idayat Hammed commended the state government’s impact in the school and urged that such efforts should be sustained to ensure conducive learning environment for the students.
Moreso, representatives of the parents’ forums from United Senior Grammar school, Ikorodu, and Oga Senior High School thanked the Ambode administration for provision of block of classrooms to address the problem of space and provision of chairs and benches respectively.
The parents equally used the forum to call the attention of Governor Ambode to areas where the state government’s attention is urgently needed in the public schools across the division.
Majorly among these is the demand by the Parents’ forum for the reversal of the ban placed on disciplinary measures especially the caning system in public schools by the state government.
The parents who were obviously unhappy about the lack of discipline of the students in the public school urged the governor through the new Tutor-General to urgently reintroduce disciplinary measures in the schools as a way of instilling the fear and respect of their teachers in them as many of the students according to the parent, are not disciplined and are disrespectful to their teachers.
The parents also lamented their inability to get state government’s approval to use the voluntary contributions by parents’ forums across the division to embark on mini projects in their respective schools to complement the efforts of the government in providing a conducive learning environment for the students.
According to them, since the state government had prohibited collection of levies in public schools, parents have decided to help the schools in areas that need urgent attention through voluntary donations but the principals of these schools have always demanded that the forum should get government approval before such donations and intervention could be accepted.
Also, a parent from Gberigbe Junior Grammar School lamented the lethargic attitude of teachers in the school towards their duties, adding that the teachers have not been teaching the students as expected of them and urged the state government to intervene urgently to ensure that the students are properly educated.
Other problems, requests and complaints highlighted by parents at the forum were lack of infrastructures like toilets, fence, table and benches as well as inadequate classrooms, insecurity, overcrowded classes, admission of under-aged children, flooding, encroachment of school premises by landgrabbers and miscreants, provision of hostels, provision of gates at schools’ entrances, inadequate teachers especially for major subjects.
The new TGPs, Mr. OlaniyiYinkaGbemi, in his response commended the parents’ forums of various public schools in Ikorodu division for complementing government efforts to ensure that their children are properly educated and also for coming together to form a central Parents’ Forum in the division.
He implored them to always get across to the government through his office whenever they have requests or complaints against any public school, its management or staff for prompt and amicable intervention rather than going to the media.
On the tenure of the Parents’ Forum exco, Mr. Gbemi explained that the tenure of the Forum’s executives is stipulated at two (2) years according to the law that created the body.
And while cautioning against sit tight syndrome, he said that there must be election every two years and that principals have the right to dissolve the executive council of the Parent’s Forums in their respective schools at the end of two terms and call for another election.
On the issue of indiscipline of students, the Tutor-General stated that the parents are largely responsible for their children’s indiscipline and bad attitudes as most of them have failed in their responsibility to instill proper behaviours and attitudes in their children from home.
He also explained that it was the complaints by parents against the brutalization of students by some teachers that led to the banning of the use of cane and other corporal punishments by the state government.
While imploring the parents to caution their children and give them the right home training to enable them behave well, he warned that he will no longer tolerate indiscipline by students in public schools and that any student found wanting in this regard will be decisively dealt with.
Regarding the delay in getting government’s approval for the use of Parents’ Forum donation in public schools, Mr. Gbemi explained that the parents’ forum does not need any approval to use such donation to do projects for the schools since it is a voluntary gesture and not levies.
While encouraging parents and other partners in progress to maintain that it is against the law of the state government for students to be levied, he warned principals, teachers and management in public schools against such act.