Students go on rampage, destroy School Properties in Oyo

One person has died as a result of injuries sustained during a demonstration at the Oba Adeyemi High School in Oyo town.

This is to protest the enforcement  of “no automatic promotion” of students  to the next class, a policy instituted by the Oyo state government.

The rampaging Students  set ablaze an administrative block at the Isale-Oyo Community secondary School in Oyo town.

Correspondent Olutayo Famous Cole reports that Oyo state is known as the pacesetter for its many firsts in the areas of education, commerce and economic activities.

Once the nation’s intellectual capital, oyo state’s influence as a giant in education has waned over the years, due to inexcusable neglect of the sector, inconsistencies and promotion by government of unpopular policies.

The incumbent governor,  determined to succeed where his predecessors failed,  introduced the idea of participatory management of public schools. The policy was met with stiff resistance as students took to the streets to register their opposition to it.

Records from the West African Examination Council indicate  that from 1999 to 2015 more than fifty thousand candidates from oyo state have failed to secure five credits in core subjects, diminishing the ranking of the state and necessitating the state government’s decision to halt the policy of automatic promotion in oyo state’s public schools.

But some students angered by the policy went berserk, setting government properties ablaze as their teachers ran for dear life.

The rampaging students operated in concert with street urchins who  were armed to the teeth and provided protection for the angry students.

Simultaneously, students of the Oba Adeyemi High School in Oyo East Local government area also protested at their school. They went after their teachers and in the ensuing crisis a student was killed.

The situation at the Anglican Methodist Secondary School was milder as the students were only able to damage a few school properties.

When TVC NEWS Crew got to the school compound some youths who were cooling off with wraps of Marijuana took to their heels.

The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology described the action of the students as criminal, warning that government would not tolerate brigandage.

He says the affected schools would remain shut while parents would bear the cost of repairing damaged infrastructure

The state government has ordered the immediate closure of 3 out of the 52 schools in Oyo town and two in Ibadan metropolis.

Government says three students are cooling their heels at the Force Criminal investigation department in Iyaganku, Ibadan.

Despite the setback,  Oyo state government says no stone would be left unturned in its sustained efforts to develop the education sector.