Fuel Scarcity Shouldn’t Delay Education, APC Tells Edo Govt Over School Resumption Postponement

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised the Edo State Government’s move to indefinitely suspend the resumption date for schools in the state over the hike in the price of fuel.

Ireporteronline reports that the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Education, Ojo Akin-Longe, via a memo, announced the postponement of Sept.9, the earlier scheduled date until further notice.

Reacting to the development while speaking to newsmen, the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Enosorogbe described the decision as ‘expensive political gimmickry’

He expressed shock that the state government was willing to sacrifice the educational pursuit of the children for politics.

“You cannot sacrifice the education pursuit of the children for fuel scarcity. It is not today we are having a hike in fuel price. This cannot derail the educational system.

“Nobody is protesting the hike and no parents have complained that they cannot take their children to school for learning. This is not adding up.

“To every reasonable and rational individual, the government has erred again. It is one of the mistakes of the state government.

“It is not in the interest of the children; it is not in the interest of the parents and it is not in the interest of the educational system,” he said.

Uwadiae-Enosorogbe subsequently called for the reversal of the decision, saying the state education had suffered a lot under the incumbent administration.

According to him, statistics of performance for the recently released results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) ranked Edo 26th as against 1st and 2nd positions in the past.

“If you now postpone resumption, how are you going to mitigate the time you have made them to stay at home deliberately. Meanwhile, the parents are not complaining,” the APC spokesperson added.