Osun State Christians protest merger of public schools

For a second time in one week, Christians in Osun State, yesterday, protested massively against the new educational policy of the state government which merged public schools together. But Governor Rauf Aregbesola insisted that the school re-classification and reform in the state was aimed at putting education on solid pedestal and secure the future of the children. It would be recalled that Christians in the state had on Wednesday at Baptist Girls School, Osogbo protested the merging of the school; a Girls High School with another Boys High School; Fakunle Comprehensive High School, Osogbo. However, yesterday’s demonstration took place in Iwo, a predominantly Muslim community by the Christians at the town who displayed placards and banners with various inscriptions and marched through the major streets in the town, denouncing the merger of schools in the state. The State chairman of Christians Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev. Elisha Olukayode Ogundiya, while addressing the protesters, said: “We have maintained this stand from inception and we will continue to defend lawfully what belongs to us as Christians in the state. “As a major stakeholder in the state, the leadership of CAN expects the state government to invite us to discuss this issue and other related ones without delay. “We wish to explain it clearly that at no time has the new leadership of CAN in Osun held any meeting with the state government on the issue of merger of schools. Therefore, the statement that we gave our consent to the state government on this policy was untrue.” Speaking through his Director, Bureau of Communication, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola maintained that “the hard reality is that these positive changes must involve some alterations in our current depressing system to bring about the new generation of well-educated, trained citizens that will take our state to higher heights. It is in the light of these that we are resolute in going ahead with the best policy for the future of our children,” According to the governor, the re-classification exercise was aimed at offering a complete education system that will produce a sound and an all-round mind in the present generation of children in the state.