By Gbenga Olaniroye

OSOGBO—Osun State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has blamed the embarrassing outing posted by students who sat for last May/June West Africa Examination Council, WAEC, examination in public schools in the state on some polices of the state government.

The party decried what it called declining standard of education in the state under the leadership of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, saying the education sector in the state was gradually drifting towards total collapse. It also blamed the situation on perceived resolve by the government to impress and empower “few party boys” at the expense of imparting positively on people.

But APC in a swift reaction, stated that PDP was only being economical with the truth by laying the blame at the door step of the state government, instead of the PDP controlled federal government.

The party said the extent to which the state had sank education in the state was evidenced by the statistical analysis of the last May/June West Africa Examination Council, WAEC results, published on the website of the body, which placed Osun State in 22nd position, coming behind states as Kogi and Benue.

The PDP in a statement signed by Prince Diran Odeyemi, its Director of Media and Strategy and made available to newsmen in Osogbo yesterday, said the quick slide from the Mount Olympus of educational growth by Osun State which occupied 9th position in 2009, according to WAEC passing rate, to the abyss of mediocrity few years after had given the present administration out as the one with much fuss and less focus.

The statement read: “Falling to ignomnious 22nd position less than 4 years of Mr Rauf Aregbesola’s reign , despite the introduction of over-hyped, contorversy-riddden Opon Imo, tablets of knowledge, among other ill-concieved initiatives like O’ schools, should be enough reason for a serious governor to resign from office.

“It would be recalled that it took a PDP governor voted in 2003 less than 3 years to redirect the troubled ship of education in the state occasioned by the improper management of the sector by the AD administration that preceded it.

“The fact remains that the mess offshoot of AD governor of 1999-2003 has created in the same education sector between 2010 and 2014 has not only put future of many upcoming generations in the state in jeopardy, but is also an indication that Aregbesola would prefer raising more Okada raiders than doctors, lawyers and other professionals”.

“Today, regardless of the huge media hype woven round the school reclassification programme of the present administration, through which public schools in the state were forcefully lumped and the initial over 2,000 public primary and secondary schools, compressed to less than 200 primary, middle and secondary schools, the initiative remains counter productive as shown by the last WAEC result.

“Our investigations also revealled that, going by the results of students that sat for the last WAEC in public schools in the state, Osun actually placed 30th among the 36 states in the country. We leave the informed people of Osun state to ponder on this development and join efforts to return the state to path of progress and prosperity.

“On our part, the PDP assures all good people of the state that it will continue to champion noble causes and keep the welfare of people on the front burner,” the statement added.

However, APC stated that PDP was only being economical with the truth by laying the blame at the door step of the state government, instead of the PDP controlled federal government.

The party in a statement by its state Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy Mr Kunle Oyatomi, said:   “The PDP in Osun is simply simplistic. They are band of opportunists. Have they done comparative analysis of how the entire result throughout the Federation affects Osun?

“It is known even to illiterates in villages in Kaduna, Bayelsa or Bauchi that the last result was a national failure.

“So the PDP should begin by asking its Federal authority where did things go wrong? To now come to Osun and be issuing a press statement is a cheap propaganda that will not fly.

“As far as Osun government is concerned, if there is any area where it scored the highest mark in less than 4 years in office, it is in education and even the world recognises that.

“It is largely in education that Aregbesola puts Osun in the world map. The feat that never happened before his arrival at Government House since the state was created 23 years ago,” he added.