By Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti
A former speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Femi Bamisile, has lauded the new governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi,
on his new education policy of free and compulsory education for all primary and secondary school Students as well as 200 million naira Car and Housing loans for Teachers in the state.
Bamisile, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives Candidate in Ekiti South Federal constituency II, said that the latest education policy of Fayemi’s administration is no doubt “a declaration of emergency on the sector” to among other things alleviate the sufferings of the masses especially Parents and Guardians across the state irrespective of their political backgrounds.
Governor Fayemi had on Wednesday signed an Executive Order banning school heads from collecting any illegal charge as well as abrogating taxes paid under the last regime by the pupils in the state.
Hon. Bamisile gave the remark in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.
He said: “Ekiti people can now differentiate between the government of slavery, despot, propaganda, deceit and directionlessness of the former Governor Ayodele Fayose, and the new administration in just less than 10 days.
“The new education policy will, no doubt, increase education enrolment in the state geometrically and also go a long way at relieving poor parents and guardians of immeasurable stress of paying school fees and other illegal charges at various schools through their nose,” he said.
According to him, the level of commercialisation of education in the state under the last administration was “not only wicked but barbaric, uncouth and frustrating, hence abysmal low record in school enrolment under the last administration, the development that is not good for the future of the State.
“Any government that could formulate a policy, making it compulsory for all pupils including those who are less than two years to be paying taxes could be best described as an enemy of the society that voted it into power. The beauty of democracy is for the government to work for the people.
“But the reverse was the case under the last administration during which pupils of nursery and primary schools including those who are in private schools had to pay a tax of N1000 each into the government coffers apart from school fees, transport fares, uniforms, books and other illegal charges among others.
“Therefore, it is now crystal clear that the present administration is out to right all the wrongs perpetrated by the last administration in order to lay a good and sustainable foundation for the people of the State.
Also the pronouncement of N200 million car and housing loans for teachers across the state will serve as a morale booster for the beneficiaries and encourage them to continue to put in their best at giving the pupils and children a sound education”.
The House of Representatives candidate called on people of the state to always support APC to deliver more dividends of democray to them.
He noted that people of the state have reason to appreciate God for giving them again someone like Dr. Fayemi who has started on a good note “as against the immediate past abracadabra or hocus-pocus government in the state”.
He called on teachers to justify the latest government largesse by being more dedicated to their duties at all times for educational advancement in the state.