Baptist-owned primary school in Yawota, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, has remained closed as the new academic session begins across the state, highlighting the continuing disruption to education months after pupils and teachers were abducted in the community.
The situation emerged during a visit on Tuesday by the Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olusegun Olayiwola, who led senior ministry officials to communities affected by the May 15 abduction. The delegation assessed the state of schooling and efforts to return children to the classroom.
According to a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, had not resumed for the first term. Olayiwola consequently directed the Director of Basic Education to engage the Nigerian Baptist Conference, which owns the school, to explore interventions that could support its reopening and prevent its permanent closure.
The commissioner said the state government was committed to ensuring that schools remained open and functional so that children could access education. The engagement with the school’s proprietors is expected to help identify the challenges preventing its return to academic activities.
The ministry’s visit also revealed concerns about children in Yawota who had not returned to school and were instead participating in skills-acquisition activities during school hours. Olayiwola interacted with parents and children and visited some of the locations where vocational training was taking place.
He urged parents to prioritise formal education and directed ministry officials to follow up with affected families to facilitate the children’s return to school. He also warned against allowing the number of out-of-school children in the state to increase further.
At Ahoro-Esiele Community Grammar School, which has resumed academic activities, teachers identified a shortage of personnel particularly Mathematics teachers as a major challenge. The commissioner directed the Tutor-General to facilitate the posting of additional teachers to address the staffing gap.
The visit also provided an opportunity for Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) teachers to request absorption into the state’s teaching service. They cited their continued service to the school before, during and after the security incident. Olayiwola directed the Tutor-General to prepare a submission identifying interested community indigenes willing to teach, for consideration by the state governor.
The school closures and staffing difficulties follow the May 15 attack on schools in Yawota and neighbouring Ahoro-Esiele. The abduction affected 46 schoolchildren and teachers, who reportedly spent 56 days in captivity before being rescued on July 10.
The schools targeted included Baptist Nursery and Primary School, L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esiele and Community Grammar School in the same community. The incident generated concern about the safety of pupils and education workers, while teachers’ representatives reportedly resisted resumption until adequate security measures were put in place.
Although some schools have reopened, the latest assessment suggests that the return to normal academic activity has been uneven. The continued closure of the Baptist-owned school, children’s absence from formal classes and the shortage of teachers at a resumed school illustrate the multiple challenges facing affected communities.
The situation also highlights the need for recovery efforts to extend beyond reopening school gates. Restoring regular attendance, addressing staffing shortages, engaging school proprietors and responding to families’ security concerns will all be important to rebuilding confidence in the affected education communities.
The ministry’s follow-up is expected to focus on supporting the reopening of the Yawota school, encouraging children to return to formal education and addressing the personnel needs identified at Ahoro-Esiele Community Grammar School. The extent to which these measures resolve the outstanding challenges will shape the recovery of schooling in the communities affected by the abduction.
