MAKINDE APPROVES FMR PARLIAMENTARIAN APPEAL ;RENAMES SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN OYO STATE

Governor 'Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has approved an appeal for the renaming of nineteen (19) special schools in the state.

The executive approval is sequel to an appeal made to the Governor by a public intellectual and citizen of the state, Prince Adetayo Adekunle.  

It would be recalled that Prince Adekunle had written the Oyo State Governor in June 2020 to draw his attention to the discriminatory names of the schools in the state.

According to Adekunle, school names such as "School for the Deaf, Handicapped, Blind & Disabled" which is commonplace in the state are discriminatory and derogatory. He then went ahead to cite the provisions of relevant Constitutional, Statutory & International Enactments that these names constitute a breach to and called on the Governor to redress the anomalies.

After a painstaking consideration of the issues, the Oyo State Government conveyed it's approval of the change of nomenclature requested by Adekunle in a letter dated October 20, 2021 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the State's Ministry of Education. The Government stated in the letter that it looked deeply into Adekunle's request and approved that the special schools in the state be renamed. The State also thanked Prince Adekunle for his efforts in making sure that the laudable step was taken by the state and wished him well in his endeavours.

Consequently, officials of the Oyo State Government led by the State Commissioner for Education, Barrister Abiodun AbdurRaheem; rep of Barr Ayo Adekambi (Executive Assistant to Gov Makinde on Disability Matters), rep of SUBEB, TESCOM and other necessary stakeholders in the Education Sector in the state performed the official public presentation of the new names of the school in a well attended ceremony at the Oyo State Secretariat on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

In their goodwill messages at the ceremony, the Chair of the State's Association of Special Teachers, rep of the National Association of the Blind as well as the Headteachers of the concerned schools showered encomiums and prayers on the Oyo State Governor for prompt approval, the Governor's aide Barr Ayo Adekanbi and Prince Adekunle for their efforts.

In his remarks, the initiator of the name change, Prince Adetayo Adekunle submitted that posterity will judge the Governor and government right for heeding his call to action. 

Some of the old and new names of the 19 schools are listed hereunder:

1. Home School for the Handicapped HLA Compound, Agodi Gate, Ibadan NOW HLA Special Basic School Agodi Gate, Ibadan 

2. Oyo School for the Handicapped NOW Oyo Special Basic School, Durbar, Oyo. 

3. Community School for the Handicapped, Oke Ora, Ogbomoso NOW Community   Special Basic School, Oke Ora Ogbomoso.

4. Handicapped Special School Saki NOW Special Basic School Saki.

5. School for the Handicapped, Ekunle, Iseyin NOW Special Basic School, Ekunle, Iseyin.