Waec to take new measures student should be happy.

Ayinla Yeketi is the Kwara State
Commissioner for education and human
capital development who hails from Asa
local government area, he is one of the
most experienced amongst the
Commissioners in the cabinet of Governor
Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state
He has worked virtually in all sectors of the
state ranging from education, where he was
the chairman Kwara state Polytechnic Board
of Directors, a position where he excelled to
the admiration of all. He came on board
when the institution was faced with the twin
problem of cultism and non-payment of staff
salaries which led to an industrial action that
grounded the school for months.
Record shows that, when he was at the helm
of the board in conjunction with the school’s
management, they were able to settle the
industrial dispute as well as reduced cultism
among students to minimal level.
Similarly, he was appointed as the pioneer
Director General of the Kwara State Road
Maintenance Agency (KWARMA), where he
was said to have performed excellently.
The Commissioner for education also served
as the Director General of Mandate office,
the campaign machinery of the Senate
President Bukola Saraki where he was able
to organise a huge success for the party in
all elections it participated in.
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In this interview with NAIJ.com’s reporter
Ibitoye Shittu in his office in Ilorin, the
Commissioner for Education revealed how
his ministry on monitoring exercise has
angrily closed fifteen illegal schools among
other issues.
Ayinla Yeketi, Kwara State Commissioner for
education and human capital development
Since your appointment as the
Commissioner for education and human
capital development, how far have you been
able to improve education sector?
As a Commissioner, my role is simple
because I am to suggest ideals on how to
improve the sector but if the governor, Dr
Abdulfatah Ahmed reject it, there is nothing I
can do; therefore, the governor is the one
improving Kwara state Education sector and
he is doing all his best to ensure the sector
receive best policies and remain the best in
the country in term of policies and
infrastructure in which you can confirm this
from school Principals across the state.
We observed that International vocational
centre in Ajase-Ipo is yet to kick off, can we
know the present status of the centre and
level of it development?
All the infrastructure in the centre have been
completed. Infact, we have advertised
various vacancies in the centre in few
national newspapers such as Rector and
other relevant positions and we are planning
that by January next year, the centre would
take off.
So what are the likely effects the centre
would have on the state education and
socio-economy?
The centre would not only contribute
positively on Kwara State education and
economy but the entire Nigeria because the
school is the first of it kind in the country
and it is going to take care of Primary,
Secondary schools pupils, graduates of
various tertiary institutions, Civil servants,
officers across the country who may want to
acquire vocational skills.
Can you tell us the efforts of the Kwara
State government to curb examination
malpractices among school pupils especially
those preparing for Senior School
Certificates Examinations (SSCE) in both
WAEC and NECO?
I want to thank you for this question, and I
want to reveal that we are not leaving any
stone unturned, infact we are closely putting
Principals of various schools under close
monitoring especially on the manner at
which they are admitting the so called
“repeaters students” into SS three classes
for final year examinations.
We discovered that most schools do have
large number of students enrolment at their
SS three classes when May-June WAEC is
approaching and June-July NECO
examination. So, we are shifting Mock
examination for all SS three students to first
term so that they can work hard ahead of
their final examinations; this would prevent
those that are not genuine students to be
registered for both WAEC and NECO and
stop examination malpractices among those
that didn’t sit for Mock because the essence
of Mock is to put both students and
teachers on their toes. It would give them
room to prepare ahead for their final
examinations.
Ayinla Yeketi, Kwara State Commissioner for
education and human capital development
When are you implementing this new
strategy to curb examination malpractices in
Kwara State?
It would definitely commence fully when
students resume next session which will be
September this year.
It came to our notice that the immediate
past governor of this state renovated few
secondary schools to reduce decadence of
infrastructure in education sector. Is their
any plan by this present administration to
follow the same step?
The governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed is working
hard to get more fund to ensure some of our
schools lacking good furnitures,
infrastructures are rehabilitated and properly
position to meet international standard and I
hope as soon the state get more fund, such
action would be taken.
How do you handle discipline of teachers
found wanting on duties?
Kwara State government is not interested in
punishment of any teachers or civil servants,
what the government want is teacher who
would always be at the duty without being
reminded by any authority and as a
Commissioner, my work is not in the office,
I’m suppose to be on the field to monitor our
schools and how teachers and pupils are
doing.
If I discover that some teachers are not in
their duty as expected and they are
collecting their salaries, I think we can find
fresh teachers who want to work, stay in
their schools to replace them because at the
end of the month, they would be paid.
During my routine monitoring, we even
discovered few mushrooms schools that
didn’t complies with our law and regulations,
we closed them. So, I believe if these
teachers know that Commissioner would
come to their schools at any time, they
would definitely stay in their various schools.
Notwithstanding, a reasonable teacher,
disciplined one would not wait until he or
she will be told to be regular at school.
During your school monitoring, how many
illegal schools were closed by your
ministry?
We have closed down 15 illegal schools and
by next session, we shall embark on more
aggressive monitoring to sanitise the state
of any school that didn’t follow our rules and
regulation.
What is your views on the campaign for free
education?
It is good if government can fund it, but to
be candid with ourselves, nothing is free in
this 21st century. Any country where
education is free, it would mirage and I want
to believe that funding of education should
be responsibilities of all stakeholders.
It suppose to be partnership between
government, parents and stakeholders and I
am only using this opportunity to tell our
people that there is need for private sector
to partner with government on the funding of
schools.
That is why we are seeing springing of many
mushrooms private schools because the
proprietors can fund it and parent pay huge
money for their pupils such N20,000,
N25,000 per term while public schools is not
adequately funded.
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It would even surprise you that most of
these private schools may not even have
professional teachers, now tell me how do
we want our children to be nurture under
such teachers. So, it is high time parents
and stakeholders cooperate with government
to fund our schools.
Imagine how government would utilise PTA
fees if it were channels to State government
purse. Therefore, free education is good but
I don’t think any government in this era
would be able to fund it because in the 60’s,
our population is not as big as today when
we are over 170million and our population
will continue to increase.
As a Commissioner for Education and former
Chairman Board of Directors of Kwara State
Polytechnic, what is your views of
cancellation of post UME in Nigeria?
What the Minister of education is saying on
this is that once JAMB has conducted
examination for fresh candidates, there
shouldn’t be double payment for the same
candidates who had paid to JAMB, so that
settle the argument but I believe all tertiary
institutions have the right to conduct their
own examination as it was done in the past
but there shouldn’t be double payment.
What are the plans of the state government
to further improve education sector in the
state?
We shall continue to do the right thing, good
policies, monitoring and implementing of
approved policies.