By Admin
The Oyo State Government has directed public schools across the state to immediately implement measures aimed at recovering academic time lost during the recent disruption to school activities caused by the abduction of teachers and students in Oriire Local Government Area.
The directive was issued by the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Segun Olayiwola, during a stakeholders' meeting held in Ibadan to discuss strategies for restoring normal academic activities and minimizing the impact of the interruption on students' learning outcomes.
The meeting brought together key education stakeholders, including representatives of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), the Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), and the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Olayiwola urged school administrators and teachers to intensify teaching efforts to ensure that students do not suffer long-term academic setbacks as a result of the industrial action and security concerns that followed the attacks.
The commissioner reaffirmed the commitment of Governor Seyi Makinde's administration to improving educational standards and providing a safe and conducive environment for learning across the state.
The directive comes weeks after armed men attacked schools in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area, killing at least one teacher and abducting dozens of pupils, students and teachers in one of the most disturbing school attacks recorded in Oyo State in recent years. Security agencies later confirmed that several victims remained in captivity as rescue operations continued.
During the stakeholders' meeting, leaders of teachers' unions appealed to the state government to sustain efforts towards securing the release of the remaining abducted victims, stressing that the safety of both teachers and learners must remain a priority.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Education Intervention, Suraju Tiamiyu, expressed optimism that the abducted teachers and students would regain their freedom, assuring stakeholders that government and security agencies were continuing efforts to secure their release.
The abductions had earlier forced authorities to temporarily shut schools in parts of Oriire and neighbouring local government areas before academic activities gradually resumed following enhanced security deployments to the affected communities.