A plan by Lagos State Government to hand over Aunty Ayo Girls' Comprehensive Secondary School, Ikoyi, Lagos, unsettles the minds of stakeholders, TEMITAYO FAMUTIMI reports
Pupils of Aunty Ayo Girls' Comprehensive Secondary School, Ikoyi, Lagos and their parents have kicked against plans by the state government to hand over the school to private operators. They are now appealing to Governor Babatunde Fashola to stop the process as, according to them, doing so would frustrate the realisation of their academic ambition.
Our correspondent gathered that the 50-year-old institution was bequeathed to the state government by its owner, the late Mrs. Ayo Manuwa, in the early 1980s and has since been run by the government.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the institution is the biggest government-owned secondary school in terms of land mass in the Ikoyi-Obalende axis and is dedicated to girl-child education.
Some of the pupils and their parents told our correspondent that they were shocked to learn of the development on March 15, when the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary of Education District III, Mrs. W.M. Idris, declared government's intention to handover the institution over to private operators during the 50th anniversary of the school.
The parents alleged that some retired top government officials colluded with officials in public service to take over the school for selfish reasons.
Chairman, Parents' Forum of the school, Mr. Saheed Olalere, said those behind the scheming were only hiding under the state government's policy of handing over schools to missionaries to acquire the school's land for private gains.
He said, "The owner of the school (Mrs. Ayo Manuma), who bequeathed it to government is late while her only daughter, who married to a white man, is also late. We now wonder where the government found those laying claim to the school now. Who are the people laying claim to the school now? What these people are only interested in is the land and not the future of our children."
Olalere lamented that the development was not only unfair but also an attempt to deny the pupils qualitative education.
He said, "It was shocking as well as disappointing to be informed of this grand plan the day parents had gathered with members of staff of the school and our beloved children to celebrate 50th anniversary of the school.
"We were told that as from the 2013/2014 academic session, the school would no longer admit pupils into the Junior Secondary School One and Senior Secondary School One while those in the various classes would be posted to other secondary schools within the Education District III.
"It is noteworthy that this school in contention is the only one within our community that adequately accommodates pupils. Others are densely populated and one wonders why the state government wants to transfer the school instead of building more schools.
"The school is about the only dividend of democracy we are enjoying in this community and our children's hope of getting qualitative education is about being doomed as taking it over lead to the mortgage of our children's future."
Chairperson, Obalenda South Community Development Association, Mrs. Iyabo Oshinfisan, who has two children in the school, explained that rumours had been making the rounds about the government's plan since 2011. She said they had strongly opposed the move at the time and were assured by the incumbent Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, that nothing of such would happen.
She explained that one of the two schools bequeathed by Manuwa to the government had already been handed over to some private individuals, adding that the school premises was not been adequately utilised.
She said, "In 2011, the state government handed over Aunty Ayo Girl's Modern Academy, a primary school, which Manuwa bequeathed to government, to the so called private people. Today, the school premises is just there lying fallow and as an alumnus of this primary school I feel embittered each time I pass through the place.
"These officials are not being considerate because of their selfish interest; they had the advantage of acquiring good education and now want to kick our own children out of the school system. We are poor and cannot afford to take our children to private schools."
However, Oladunjoye, in an interview with our correspondent in her office on Thursday, confirmed that the state government had handed over the school to the private hands who she described as those with "legal power" to do so.
She explained that the handing over of the school was in line with the state government's policy of returning schools to their previous owners. She added that records had shown that the Board of Governors that had made representation to take over the school had a genuine claim to the title of ownership of the land.
She said, "Before I became commissioner, people had been making representation that they wanted their schools back and the Lagos State Government had returned a long list of schools to previous owners before and even after I assumed office.
"The Board of Governors of the said school have been here and we have held series of meetings with them. They have brought documents to show ownership and prove of ownership of the land on which the school was built.
"We took the issue to the Executive Council and we even went to the Office of the Surveyor-General of the State to check our records and we found out that the land in which the school is built was the land that was given to them by the administrator-general at that time.
"The land belongs to them and whoever owns the land, owns the school. We cannot carry our school off their land and if the land belongs to them we have to give it back to them."
She explained that the decision to hands off the school was not taken by her nor the state governor but by the state executive council.
Oladunjoye denied the allegation that she was the one interested in the piece of land, adding that she had no connection with the people to whom the school had been handed over.
The commissioner, however, assured the parents that handing over of the school would not be a one-off thing but a gradual process.
She added, "I'm not interested in any piece of land in Ikoyi and I don't know people who are in government that they are referring to. What I know is that I'm in government now and I'm doing the best I can in government. The development is unfortunate but if the school doesn't belong to us we wouldn't say it belongs to us. All we can do is to take the new pupils to schools around in Ikoyi and its environs.
"The handing over will be a gradual disengagement. They won't take possession until the last pupil graduates and the last teacher leaves. Nobody can send them away. However, no pupil can come in again but other schools will be improved upon and we can't even throw them on the streets. This government is responsible and responsive."
When our correspondent visited the primary school, some of the classes were being used as a study centre for an Ogun State-based polytechnic.
A parent, Mrs. Osomi Promise, said the school is doing well in terms of academics and teaching of good morals to the pupils. She added that there were no tangible reasons why the state government should take it away from the masses.
She said, "Aunty Ayo Girls' Comprehensive Secondary School is one that has been competing favourably among its peers in the state. In fact, one would have ordinarily taken the school for one that is being run by private operators.
"And since I cannot afford to send my children to a private school for qualitative education, this school that is about to be taken away from us is just the best alternative.
"Since the Tutor-General made the announcement in March, we have been destabilised and have since been running helter-skelter to get the government have a change of mind. But nobody has come forward to give us a genuine reason for this plan and we are indeed worried. Government should please have mercy on us and let the status quo remain."
A Senior Secondary School Two pupil of the school, who identified herself simply as Yetunde, said she feels bad about the taking over of the school.
"All through the second term, strange people come into the school to take measurement of the land and when it was finally announced that government was going to given out, I feel sorry for not only myself but my other co-pupils.
"Our school is one of the best in this neighbourhood as we have functional laboratories. As things are going, they will likely distribute us to schools that are already overcrowded and lack science laboratories. I feel sad since I still have one academic year to spend," Yetunde noted.
For Oyindamola, who is writing her West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination, the thought of losing her Alma Mata has been a nightmare.
"Our school is reputed as the best in the whole of the Education District and when the government's plans are concluded, will I still have a school I can call my Alma Mata and where I can get records of my secondary education?" she lamented .
