BY KAYODE ANIMASAUN 

 

Following the outcry by school principals and teachers, the Ondo state government has bowed to pressure to review the conditions for the proposed security seminar scheduled to hold this week.

Positively Fm had exclusively reported that the state government was organising the seminar with a directive that all private and secondary schools in the state must pay #12,000 each for the seminar.

The proposed security workshop was being organised by the Public Service Training Institute, (PSTI) while a circular was issued to that effect by the Ministry of Education.

In the circular, the ministry directed that every secondary school both public and private in the state should provide a principal and two teachers and pay a sum of #4,000 each for selected participants.

The principals, teachers and private schools proprietors however rejected the government’s directive, describing it as strange and unacceptable, considering various financial challenges facing many public schools occasioned by lack of running grants.

In separate letters addressed to the Head of service, the state chairman, Academic staff Union of secondary schools, Nigeria (ASUSS), Comrade Balogun Tajudeen and the President of All Nigeria conference of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS ), Mr Johnbull Mebawondu urged the state government to reverse its directive and make the seminar zero cost in the interest of all stakeholders.

It was gathered that the ministry of education had reviewed the demands of the two labour unions and reduced the fee to #4,000 per school instead of the former #12,000.

The participants for the seminar have been reduced to only school principals.

It was also gathered that new dates had been picked for the seminar scheduled to hold this week.

A source in the ministry of education told Positive Fm that the new date for the seminar is now 26th of July and will end on the 16th of August, 2021.

The source said though the unions were still insisting that the seminar must be at zero cost, the state government through the state head of service ,Mr John Adeyemo had pleaded for understanding from the principals as the state is not buoyant to sponsor the seminar.

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