Ogun Warns Teachers, Schools Against Illegal Fees, Farm Tool Demands....Charges Parents, Administrators on School Security

Ogun Warns Teachers, Schools Against Illegal Fees, Farm Tool Demands....Charges Parents, Administrators on School Security

The Ogun State Government has warned teachers in public schools against compelling students to purchase cutlasses, hoes, brooms and other farm implements as a condition for resumption, describing such practices as unacceptable.

The government also charged administrators of public and private schools, parents and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration with security agencies to ensure the safety of schools and guarantee a peaceful 2026/2027 academic session.

The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, gave the warning at a press conference held at the ministry’s conference room in Abeokuta.

Arigbabu urged school administrators to comply strictly with government-approved policies and guidelines, warning that schools found violating the directives could face sanctions, including withdrawal of their operating approval.

He explained that where agricultural implements were genuinely required for practical lessons, students could be asked to bring them from home and return them after use, rather than being compelled to purchase them at the point of resumption.

The Commissioner also urged teachers, students, parents and members of communities hosting schools to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities around school premises.

He said the state government had maintained strong collaboration with security agencies, adding that Governor Dapo Abiodun remained committed to protecting learners and teachers and ensuring a peaceful learning environment across the state.

“We need to strengthen intelligence gathering within our schools for quick response to security issues, as government takes the safety of learners and teachers seriously. By so doing, parents need to join hands with security agencies to make all our schools more conducive and safer for learning,” he said.

The Commissioner further warned public school heads against illegal collection of fees and advised proprietors of private schools to desist from imposing exorbitant charges on parents under any guise.

He disclosed that graduation ceremonies in schools were restricted to Primary Six, Junior Secondary School Three (JSS3) and Senior Secondary School Three (SS3), stressing that such ceremonies should not impose financial burdens on parents and students.

Arigbabu also cautioned school owners and administrators against practices capable of tarnishing the image of their institutions, urging them to promote good moral behaviour, shun corporal punishment and prevent examination malpractice.

On infrastructure, the Commissioner disclosed that the N12 billion counterpart intervention fund from UBEC/SUBEB for the 2022–2026 period would be deployed to projects across the state.

He said the government planned to execute projects in at least one school in each of the 20 local government areas before the expiration of the present administration.

According to him, the projects would cover construction and rehabilitation of school facilities, fencing, provision of toilets and other critical infrastructure required to improve the learning environment.

Arigbabu further disclosed that more than 6,000 Ogun-Teach interns had been engaged by the state government in collaboration with Teach For Nigeria (TFN), while about 4,000 had subsequently secured permanent employment, including 500 from TFN.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to educational innovation, noting that Ogun State would continue to lead efforts to strengthen digital education, particularly through its Digital Learners Identification Number (LIN) initiative.