By Adeyinka Adeniran
As a way of ensuring an improved and standard education system, the Oyo State House of Assembly has called on the Ministry of Education and Oyo State Post Primary Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) to monitor compliance with the government policy on the new academic structure in all secondary schools in the state.
The call was contained in a report presented before the House by the Chairman, Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), Hon. Johnson Ogundele, and adopted during the first plenary session of the year, which held on Tuesday.
The House, under the Speakership of Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, thereafter directed the Committee to engage the ministry, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in the education sector regarding government policy on academic promotion.
The directive entailed that the House required the MDAs to ensure that students meet a minimum of 80 percent class attendance and 50 percent pass mark in at least five subjects, including either English Language or Mathematics.
This, this governemnt said is aimed at abolishing the policy of mass promotion in public secondary schools in the state.
Presenting the report, Hon. Ogundele, who represents Oriire state constituency, disclosed that all MDAs in the education sector of the state are working in line with the directive of the state Assembly.
He noted that they acknowledged that the new approach is aimed at reducing truancy, improving parental involvement, and providing an accurate measure of students’ commitment and academic progress.
The Chairman of the Committee recommended that private schools in the state should also be monitored to ensure they comply with the new Continuous Assessment (CA) structure and integrate it into their internal assessment policies.
Hon. Ogundele also appealed to the House to urge teachers to maintain accurate records of attendance, notebooks, textbooks, and participation of students and guardians in open days to ensure fairness and transparent scoring.
Other recommendations adopted by the House include encouraging school administrators to organize workshops to guide teachers, increase public sensitization and awareness about the Continuous Assessment structure, support school administrators to develop internal strategies on how to curb absenteeism, and provide mobility support for Tutors-General and Local Inspectors of Education to carry out effective monitoring and supervision.
