Education Policy Review Roundtable Summit set up by the Osun State Government to examine some policies introduced into the education sector by the previous administration in the state had recommended the abolition of middle schools.
The panel, led by the pioneer Registrar, National Business and Technical Education Board, Prof. Olu Aina, also recommended the reversal of single uniform policy.
Middle schools, which have pupils in primary 5 and 6 alongside students in Junior Secondary School 1 to 3 in the same school, were introduced by the immediate past administration.
While presenting the report of the summit to the governor on Monday, Aina explained that the panel had painstakingly reviewed and addressed all education-related issues with a view to strengthening the delivery of quality and affordable education in response to the wishes and yearnings of the people of the state.
He said the panel made 11 recommendations within the context of the national education policy, saying the merging of Primary 5 and 6 for the reason of school feeding initiative violated the 6-3-3-4 structure.
He added that the 4-5-3-4 and the middle school policy were unknown to the National Policy on Education.
The panel advised that Opon Imo be retained with some modifications. It also X-rayed other issues, including the policy of mixing male and female pupils in schools established for single sex students.
The Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, expressed the resolve of his government to reposition the education sector.
He said, “It was our desire to hearken to the yearnings and aspirations of the citizenry that necessitated this review in the first instance.
“As a government, our policies and programmes are driven by citizens’ needs. These needs were further validated by the United Kingdom Department for International Development.
“That was what led to the Policy Review Roundtable Summit, the report of which we are receiving today. We are prepared to do what will improve the lots of our people and protect the future of our children.”

By Bola Bamogbola