Aregbesola’s education policies, reminder of Awo’s reform –Ooni Our ReporterOctober 13, 2013
The education policies of Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, have been described as being reminiscent of the education reforms of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, during the First Republic.
This was the observation of the Ooni of ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade at the public assessment forum tagged Gbangba Dekun in Ile-Ife.
Ooni, who was represented at the gathering by the Obalufe of Iremoland, Chief Folorunsho Omishakin, said one striking resemblance between Awolowo’s education reform and Aregbesola’s current education reform was that both were antagonised. According to the monarch, in 1955 when Awolowo started his education reforms in the then Western Region, people antagonised him but the late sage remained undaunted in his commitment to turning around the fortunes of education in the region.
“Your programme too will succeed like that of Obafemi Awolowo. When Awolowo started the reform, people antagonised him. They said the programme would not succeed. But before our very eyes, Awo’s education programme succeeded. We still can see many of the products of that reform till today.
“If other regions had followed what he did in education sector in the then Western region, may be today there won’t be Boko Haram up North or militants in the Niger Delta. Or at worst, what we would have today are educated militants and Boko Haram members.”
Ooni said Awolowo’s reform succeeded at last because of the late politician’s tenacity of purpose and selfless conviction for the future of the region. He added that but for the focus and determination Awolowo had, he would have chickened out of the programme and the entire South West region would have been the worst for it.
He regretted that a few people had failed to look beyond the immediate to see the overall benefit of the school reform process blaming those antagonizing the plan as mixing pure development issues in the education sector with politics and religion. He commended the bold step of the governor in tackling the rot in this all-important sector, advising him not to be distracted by what some people are doing or saying about the reforms.

Orisha jefo (Oritsejafor) CAN agents in SW are enemies of progress.