The Ogun State House of Assembly has passed three bills seeking to alter the nomenclature of some State owned higher institutions including Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu, Gateway Polytechnic, Igbesa and Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu- Ijebu.
The passage of the amendment bills had led to the following changes in the names of the affected institutions as Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu now Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences, Ilese, the Gateway Polytechnic, Igbesa Ogun State had been amended to reflect its new name as Ogun Institute of Technology, Igbesa, while the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu- Ijebu now changed to Ogun State College of Education, Jobore-Omu.
The passage of the bills titled,” HB.NO 31/OG/2018- Ogun State College of Health Technology (Amendment) Law, 2018, HB. No 32/OG/2018- Gateway Polytechnic, Igbesa (Amendment) Law, 2018 and HB. No 033/OG/2018- The Tai-Solarin College of Education, Omu (Amendment),Law, 2018”, at a plenary presided over by Speaker Suraju Ishola Adekunbi was aimed at ensuring that the institutions meet the present educational, administrative and cultural realities for improved service delivery.
The passage of the bills followed the presentations of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology’s reports on the three bills respectively by its Chairman, Olayiwola Ojodu, who equally moved the motion for the adoption, which was seconded by Hon. Idowu Olowofuja and supported by the whole House.
The motion was thereafter supported by the Whole House through a voice vote after which the bill was later read and adopted Clause by clause by the Committee of the Whole House which followed the third reading of the bills by the Acting Clerk, Deji Adeyemo before the lawmakers.
Responding, Speaker Adekunbi, thereafter directed that the clean copies of the bills be forwarded to the Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun for his assent.
It would be recalled that Stakeholders in the education sector had earlier given a pat on the back to the State Assembly, positing that change of name for the institutions would expand the scope of courses being offered in the schools, which would also lead to increase students’ enrolment while proffering a lasting solution to issues of misidentification being encountered by TASCE with some funding agencies like TETfund and other regulatory bodies.
Earlier, Speaker Suraju Adekunbi has urged the members of the coalition of academic and non-academic unions in the Tai-Solarin College of Education (TASCE), to allow the Assembly intervene to help address issues relating to the backlog of salaries and allowances.
The Speaker, who made the appeal while responding to the submission of the Minority Leader, Olawale Alausa on the need to resolve issues affecting the institution, implored the workers of the institution to resume to work to enable the Assembly engage necessary stakeholders towards resolving all industrial issues amicably.
Adekunbi explained that the Assembly as part of its quasi-judicial functions had been engaging all concerned parties on the state of affairs of the institution.
Packaged by Hazeez Ayansola
