From: Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Adeniyi Olowofela, has described students of the state as best among their peers in the country.
Olowofela noted that Senior Secondary School Examinations’ performance rate is based on wrong benchmark.
The commissioner stated this, on Thursday, during a handover ceremony of donated items by the 1975/80 set of St. Patrick’s Grammar School, at Orita-Bashorun, in Ibadan.
According to the commissioner, the normal benchmark to determine the best performing students in states supposed to be the number of students with minimum of 5 credits including Mathematics and English language in SSCEs’ result.
He said rather the rating was determined by numbers of students seat for the examination vis à vis the output percentage results.
Olowofela maintained that an arrangement like this to determine best performing students inhibits credibility and looks like comparing a dwarf with a giant.
In his analysis, according to 2016 National Examination Council, NECO’s rating as an example, the professor of Physics said: “for example Ogun State which was rated with percentage pass of 91% presented 5,737, where 5,682 sat for the examination and 5,183 passed with minimum of 5 credits including Mathematics and English language in the SSCEs’ result.
“In Oyo, however, the state presented 8, 556, where 8, 515 sat for the examination and only 7,464 passed. this analysis shows that the higher the number of students a state presented lowers the chances of making the higher percentage mark which is used as benchmark to determine states’ performing rate. however, if you look at the analysis chart by the NECO, you will see that Oyo State has highest number of students passed with minimum of 5 credits including Mathematics and English language in the SSCE’s examination which suppose to be the benchmark to determine the states’ performing rate”, he noted.
Prof. Olowofela added that some of the policies in Education in the state like ‘No Authomatic Promotion’ and among other policies are now yielding success records which have now positioned the state to have best result in the last 16 years of democratic dispensation in the state.
He said: “Governor Ajimobi-led Government in Oyo State has observed the abysmal low performance in the past, that is why it took the bull by the horn by halting the trend through enforcement of policy of no automatic promotion which was rebuffed by many who did not understand the Government intention. As a result, some unscrupulous students vandalised schools, there was arson at Isale Oyo, yet government insisted on the policies, and today we are all proud of the current achievement.
“With all the policies already put in place by Oyo State Government, there will be geometric progression in Education, of the state. We are waiting for detail analysis of NECO of this year, however look at the details of NECO of last year.
For example in column 4, Oyo-State has the highest number of students who passed with 5 credits including English and Maths. When you look at column five alone it does not tell the whole story.
“For clearer discussion, I want you to look at what we have below: Name_of_State (No_of_Student_that_sat_for_exam, No_of_Student_that_Pass, Percentage): Abia(11304, 9857, 87.19)
Edo (22589, 20183, 89.34)
Kogi (24318,21351,87.81)
Beyelsa (5156,448,86.26)
Ekiti (9368, 8231, 87.9)
Ogun (25060, 21568,86.1)
Ondo (25606, 21029,82.1)
Osun (29162, 24610,84.4)
Lagos (53843,45483,84.5)
Oyo (56472, 46948, 83.1).
“The reason, why I put this analysis forward is to let you realise that most media with negative sensational headings have their agenda. South West is still the home of mass education. Ekiti has the least registered candidate, while Oyo has the most. Ekiti, that appeared to have best result in south west has 9,368 registered candidates with 8,231pass. While Oyo-State registered 56,472 candidate with 46,948 pass. We are using NECO because WAEC insisted that it doesn’t do national rating perhaps due to different weighting from each state, it is like the Gulliver’s travel. Different situations for the land of Lilliputians (dwarf) and the land of the giant. Oyo-State is the giant”, the commissioner said.