The Committee for the Defence Of Human Rights (CDHR), Osun State Chapter, has called on the state government under leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke to adhere strictly to the policy guidelines on the new retirement age of teachers.
Chairman of the committee in the State, Comrade Emmanuel Olowu, made the call while addressing a press conference, on Wednesday, at the CDHR secretariat, Osogbo, Osun State capital.
Olowu expressed concerns over the apparent lack of political will by the Osun State Government to fully implement and enforce the teacher’s elongation policy, just as he decried the laxity of the office of the Head of Service through which the policy was formed.
Reacting to the report of the Osun 2024 education summit in the state, Olowu charged the Governor on the need to increase teachers’ recruitment to 8,000 because of the shortage of the teachers in the public schools across the state.
He said: “Besides, the recent decision of the state government to employ an additional Five thousand (5000) teachers raises eyebrows. The recruitment of the five thousands teachers falls short of the reported shortage of all subject teachers in our public schools as reported by the Osun 2024 Education Summit which highlighted that 84.5% schools in Osun State currently lack teachers for all subjects.
“CDHR therefore, calls on the Osun State Government to reevaluate its approach to tackling the education crisis, ensuring that the guidelines on teachers’ elongation policy are fully implemented, and the state should jack up the numbers of teachers it intends to employ to Eight Thousand (8000).
“Osun State government should immediately commence the full implementation of the Teachers’ Elongation policy, as stated in the policy guideline.
“The domestication of the policy was applauded by the teachers in the state which about hundred and forty-five (145 ) level Sixteen (16) secondary school teacher and about hundred and five (105) primary school teachers are beneficiaries of the Policy as of today, indicating that the government has been wasting about Forty-One Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (₦41,850,000.00k) on monthly bases over a policy for the past Twenty (20) months of the domestication of the policy.
“Approximately, the government of Osun State has wasted eight hundred and thirty-seven million (N837,000,000) naira within 20 months of the domestication of the policy which guidelines are yet to be fully implemented and which has no impact on the education and academic performance of the student. Governor Ademola Adeleke should exercise Political Will in carrying out his duty as the chief executive officer of the state.
“Immediate implementation of the reclassification of schools back to 6,3,3,4 as stated in the white paper
The Osun Head of Service, Commissioner of Education and permanent secretary of Education should stop acting with laxity. “
