Two weeks ago, the Kwara State government stopped the free holiday coaching classes organised  by the Action Congress of Nigeria, 2011 governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Dele Belgore for secondary school students. The action has elicited controversy, reports SUCCESS NWOGU

Corporate and private interventions in educational development ordinarily should be a welcome development, even by the government as such complements its effort in ensuring qualitative, and affordable education to the citizenry.

But when an intervention from a different political camp is misconstrued as a way to score a cheap political point by the incumbent, then it becomes a food for thought.

That is what is currently happening between the Action Congress of Nigeria governorship candidate in Kwara State in 2011 elections, Mr. Dele Belgore and the state government.

Belgore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had organised free holiday coaching for students in secondary schools in the state, and had wanted to use the public schools as centres for the exercise. He was said to have got approval for such use from the principals of the schools selected.

But the government of the Peoples Democratic Party, on realising such that intervention from Belgore might give him an edge and recognition from the Kwarans, quickly stopped it.

Since the coaching classes were stopped last week, it has continued to generate reactions from all the stakeholders, including the initiator of the programme and the ruling party in the state.

Throwing the first salvo was Belgore who accused the state government of political vendetta by frustrating his good and humanitarian gesture, by denying Kwara students an opportunity for educational enrichment.

Also, in a swift reaction, the state government said it cancelled the coaching classes because Belgore did not comply with laid down procedure for getting permission for such exercise.

Belgore who spoke through his media aide, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye stated that it was a programme a total of 6,000 students, made up 2,000 each from the three senatorial districts of the state would have benefited from it. He added that at the end of the programme, the students would have written an examination to test their knowledge of what they would have been taught.

He explained to him, best students were to get some sort of scholarship. He stated that he would have paid the expenses for the West African School Certificate examination of the best students in Senior Secondary School Class 3 and Junior Secondary School Class 3.

He stated that senior students were meant to be taught lessons in Mathematics, English Language, Chemistry, Physics, Accounts, Economics, Commerce, Agricultural Science, Yoruba, Computer,Government, Literature in English, and Biology during the extra-mural classes. He added that Junior students would have been taught lessons on Basic Science, Agricultural Science, English Language, Mathematics, Business Studies, Computer, Social Study, and Yoruba.

According to Belgore, the Kwara State Ministry of Education ordered school principals to disallow in their various schools, the annual free holiday classes he sponsored for secondary school students across the 16 local councils of the state.

He stated that his 'Solidarity Team', which is the group supervising the initiative to assist students in their studies, had written and secured written approval of the principals whose schools had been chosen as venues for the lessons.

But he said, following an alleged intense pressure from chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party; officials from the state Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board went round some of the schools and stopped the lessons.

He added that the officials claimed that they were acting on the order of the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Saka Onimago, who, Belgore alleged had directed the principals to stop the extra-mural lesson.

He claimed that the extra-mural lesson, in its second year, would have commenced on Monday August 6.

He said, "As at Thursday, the state government has stopped the lesson in St. John Primary School Maraba, in Ilorin East, St. Bernaba Primary School Sabo Oke, in Ilorin East, Adabiya Primary School Abata Baba Oyo in Ilorin West and United Community Secondary School Unity Road in IIorin South.

"No reason was given for the directive. Such decision is harsh and smirks of cheap politics," he said.

Belgore accused the state government of double standard since it did not stop similar initiative by a former Governor of the State, Dr. Bukola Saraki a few months ago when the latter floated extra coaching for students writing the Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Ilorin.

"It is cheap politics, the sort of which we are preaching against, to stop this wonderful education initiative which to our mind is the best way to empower the people," Belgore added.

Also Kwara ACN Chairman Kayode Olawepo, said it was 'repressive, anti-people and short-sighted' for the state government to stop the free holiday classes.

As a matter of fact, he noted government should encourage private individuals and institutions who are ready to assist in lifting educational standard.

On his own part, the Commissioner for Education said the Kwara State government had advised all interested members of the public that intended to make use of infrastructure at public schools across the 16 local government areas of the state during the long holidays to get approval from the state government.

Onimago, in a statement by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Lamidi Alabi, said Belgore did not get permission to use public schools from the government before embarking on the programme.

The commissioner also said no application was submitted to the ministry as regards the usage of the school premises by Belgore. He added that the normal procedure for any person or organisation that intended to use school premises for any purpose be it social, cultural, educational, among others, was to seek the permission of the Ministry of Education through the principals of such schools.

He stated that the permission from the appropriate authorities would go a long way in safeguarding and protecting the infrastructural facilities of such schools.

The commissioner, the senior special assistant to Kwara State Governor on media and communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede said the free holiday lesson of Belgore was stopped by the state government because the promoters allegedly failed to follow laid-down procedures. According to him, approval should have been sought from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development rather than from school principals.

However, parents and students who could have been the beneficiaries of the programme were not happy that it was cancelled. A parent who pleaded not to be identified told our correspondent that 'it was quite sad that such a laudable programme could be sacrificed on the altar of politics.'

Also a student  in one of the junior secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis, who also craved anonymity, said he was already looking forward to the coaching classes when he heard that it had been cancelled by the state government.

"I was excited when I was told by a friend that there will be free lessons for students during this holiday, but my excitment was short-lived when I heard it had been cancelled by the government. It is sad," he lamented.

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