By Bukola Olamona
Youths in Ondo State have called on government to as a matter of urgency, return history as a subject back to curriculum as it is a custodian of human story.
Making the call was the Speaker, Ondo State Youth Parliament, Mr Smith Ikumapayi when the body paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Ikumapayi said the removal of History as a subject from the curriculum has made the youth to be unpatriotic as they ought to be as they have nothing to learn from, hence the need for it to be reintroduced.
The youth leader who commended the Quality Assurance department of the ministry for the job they have been doing in the sector also said more still needed to be done in the area of employing the right people to teach in schools, especially in the primary school.
He said: ” Primary education is the most vital in the education sector, hence the need to employ the right people”.
He also called on government to look towards the issue of bursary and scholarship for tertiary students.
Earlier, the Deputy Minority leader Joseph Akinkuotu who spoke about the Parliament, said they were inaugurated about five weeks ago by the state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu in tandem with the National Youth Policy.
“We were established for capacity building of youths in the state with 26 members who were consciously and carefully selected by the Ministry of Youth and Sport Development,” he said.
Akinkuotu stated that members are not just youths but youths of reputable character and that they have come to be able to forge a cordial relationship with the ministry.
Responding, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Femi Agagu commended them, saying “we can now sit back because we now have good leaders who can take over from us.”
The Commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Rev. Akin Asaniyan called on them to keep their integrity no matter the pressure, saying they must stand for what is right always.
He admonished them to make the governor who ensures the parliament return to be proud of them.
The Commissioner also said they should be role models to the younger ones in the primary and secondary schools as some of them are now into cultism and other vices.
While speaking on the issue or returning History back to the curriculum, he said it is a national issue which will be rectified.
He assured them that whatever advice they bring concerning education will be attended to promptly.
