Oyo State chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), has declared that cancellation of the third term of 2019/ 2020 academic session without provisions for makeup compromises education standard in the state.
Recalls that the Engineer Seyi Makinde-led administration in Oyo State, had last month, released the calendar for the resumption of schools in the state.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye who spoke after the state executive council meeting said the state executive council approved the academic calendar to guide resumption of classes.
Olaleye said that the third term for 2019/2020 session has been cancelled and promotion of students, for all affected classes, will now be determined by First and Second Term Continuous Assessment.
But, SPN while reacting, said that the new academic calendar recently approved by Makinde-led government has created a serious lacuna in the academic programme.
SPN Secretary, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun who spoke on behalf of the party on Sunday, said, ”We reject the new 2020/2021 academic calendar recently approved by the Engineer Seyi made-led government for the resumption of schools and examinations for students in terminal classes across the State. It is our belief that this new academic calendar in which the third term of 2019/2020 academic session has been cancelled and its stipulated scheme of work without allowance for makeup is a compromise of the standard of education in Oyo State.
“The significance of the third term to every academic session at least in both the Primary and Secondary levels of education cannot be overemphasized. It is a period that usually allows schools to get their teaching activities regularized by attending to all unfinished or omitted topics including a review of the previous terms’ work which often facilitate better understanding and assimilation.
“The assessment test and promotional examination often conducted during this period also offer opportunities to assess the students’ overall level of understanding on all the works undertaken for the whole academic session.
“Judging from this background, we of the SPN, strongly feel that the best way to reopen the schools for the resumption of students after such a long period of distraction due to the Covid-19 pandemic should have been with an adequate academic calendar that will be a product of democratic deliberation of a committee that is opened to representatives of workers in the education sector, parents and other stakeholders.
“Such academic calendar must accommodate programmes for the completion of the second term examinations which was aborted in many schools to avoid COVID-19 outbreak as well as the third term scheme of work for the 2019/2020 academic session which must allow for the immediate revision classes, assessment tests, assignments and promotion examination before proceeding to a new academic session.
“It is in the light of this background that we of the SPN reiterate our stance that the new academic calendar recently approved by the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government has created a serious lacuna in the academic programme because it is grossly inadequate to address the post-COVID-19 educational need of students in the State. We, therefore, demand that it should be subjected to an immediate review by a committee that will comprise representatives of workers in the educational sectors, the parents and other relevant stakeholders.
“Again SPN recognizes how desirable it could appear at this present time to reopen schools for the resumption of thousands of students in the State, however, we must equally be quick to caution Engr Seyi Makinde-led government against being too hasty about this especially when it is obvious that facilities and structures necessary to guarantee both the academic well-being and health safety of these students are grossly lacking across the public schools in the State at this present time”.
