Rampaging secondary school pupils in Osun State on Thursday staged a
public protest against the decision of the state government to stop
payment of the WAEC fees of some SS3 students.
Hundreds of students trooped out in Ile Ife to protest the new policy
and some of them reportedly attacked some motorists while some of them
vandalised Orisun FM, a radio station owned by the state government
located in the town.
Due to the financial crisis facing the state, it was gathered that the
state government decided to scale down the number of students whose fees
would be paid this year.
This was said to have made the government announce that they would not
pay the WAEC fees of students who failed to have four credit passes in
the mock-examinations.
The protesting pupils were reported to have blamed the prolonged strike
resulting from nonpayment of their teachers salaries for their failure.
Our correspondent also gathered that secondary school pupils trooped out at Gbogan to protest the new policy.
They were said to have blocked the main road and caused traffic snarl.
The pupils were said to have vented their anger on the radio station and vandalised some cars parked inside the premises.
A resident of Ife who identified himself as Remi told our correspondent
on the telephone that the rampaging pupils attacked some unlucky
motorists as they marched through some of the streets.
The Consultant to Osun State Government on Information, Mr. Sunday
Akere, when contacted told our correspondent that the students were
instigated by some persons he did not mention.
He said the government decided not to pay for all the students because
of the limited resources and because some of the students were not
serious with their studies.
PUNCH
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