Just as the storm arising from the planned demolition of Fakunle High
School in Oshogbo to make room for the setting up of a Shop Rite Mall has yet
not settled, the newly introduced policy
of school reclassification by the Aregbesola administration may cause religious
crisis in Osun State.
Indeed, governor Aregesola in a move that has been generating diatribes
from the people of the state, is not relenting in making Fakunle Comprehensive
High School, a historyas against the will of the school’s current and old students.
The Old Students Association of the school had on several occasion, embarked on
protest to register their displeasure over the planned demolition.
In the Aregbesola’s scheme of school
reclassifications announced by the Osun State Government, there are now three
schools: the elementary, middle school and high schools.
The purported reclassification formula however, despite informing the
demolition of a high school, introduces the merger of most of schools in the
State. Some of the merged schools are faith-based, and their proprietors have
publicly declared their disagreement with the merger plan, this has raised dust
in the State.
One of the Christian denominated Schools, Baptist High School, recently
shut its gates against the new students distributed to them upon resumption as
a way of expressing its indignation. The closure was followed by a mild protest
with banners and placards, which bore messages of disapproval of the merger
policy.
Some of the Christian-denominated schools were basically for same-gender
students, but the schools’ say of the merger policy displaces the sanctity of
their moral preserves. In addition to the resistance of the schools to the
idea, the Osun State chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on
October 7 wrote to the State Government that it totally rejects the plan.
In a letter to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, CAN stressed that the foundation
of the Christian faith is threatened by the policy and that its members in the
State would not compromise on resisting it.
The correspondence, signed by the Osun State Chairman of CAN, Rev Elisha O. Ogundiya, demanded an immediate stop to the implementation of the merger policy, a reversal of the mixture of both genders in the same-sex schools, and the return of all mission schools to their founders.
The correspondence, signed by the Osun State Chairman of CAN, Rev Elisha O. Ogundiya, demanded an immediate stop to the implementation of the merger policy, a reversal of the mixture of both genders in the same-sex schools, and the return of all mission schools to their founders.
The Association gave seven-day ultimatum to the Governor to work on their
demands, following which they threatened other actions.
On the other hand, Fakunle High School, which is to give way for a Shop
Rite Mall, although not operated as a Christians-only school, was founded by a
Christian missionary, Reverend Pa. Ade Fakunle in 1956, before it was taken
over by the Osun State Government in 1975.
The demand by the Osun State CAN that the government return missionary
schools to their founders may be informed by the demolition of Fakunle High
School, a trend some members who spoke with our correspondent allege to be
imminent for the schools being merged.
“We suspect the merger will neutralize the missionary essence of our
schools and the Government will subsequently demolish them. We won’t allow this
at all,” said a member of the Baptist Conference in Osun State.
Fakunle High School, one of the alumni said, have hatched a plan to host
a massive protest against the planned demolition of the school in Oshogbo, and
that proprietors of the merged faith-based schools as well as the State Chapter
of CAN may be buying into their demonstration upon the expiration of their
ultimatum to the governor.
No comments:
Post a Comment