From Sade Adewale, Ondo
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Residents and indigenes of Owena-Ayetoro-Idanre community in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State have called on the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to come to their aid and resuscitate the secondary school in the community, which was closed in 1987.
While identifying resuscitating United High School as a panacea for the declining fortune of learning in the community, the members lamented that the school, established in 1979, was never renovated.
The plea was contained in a letter of appeal written to the Ondo State Ministry of Education by the community through the Chairman Resuscitating Committee of the school, Olutosoye Olorunsola and made available to journalists.
Olorunsola said the school was suddenly closed in 1987 during the era of the then Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Funke Iluyemi, without any justification.
He said the United High School, Owena-Ayetoro, was established in the year 1979 as the only public secondary school in Owena township, serving the community and other close communities and villages such as Ipinlerere, Ago Store, Ajegunle, Lanika, Oke Maye, Onikokodiya, Gberiwojo and Akindana village.
According to him, one of the steps the Owena-Ayetoro community elders and progressive youths had taken towards resuscitating the school was to roll out programmes with some providential and productive beginning come September 2023, first term 2023/2024 academic session.
While lamenting that the school had no basic learning facilities like chairs and tables, he stressed that its closure had brought untold hardship and challenges to their children, who must travel miles to the local government for learning.
“We are appealing to the local government, state government and the general public to come to our children’s aid and put in place a conducive learning environment for our children.
“We want to call on all well-meaning individuals in the state to come to our rescue so that we can have a better future just like our peers in other parts of the state.
“Ondo state government should take proper possession of this school. This is the only secondary school we have in this environment,” Olorunsola begged.
