The Oyo State Government has suspended all school excursions, field trips, sports competitions and other activities requiring students to move outside their school premises following security concerns linked to bandit threats.
The directive was contained in a circular issued by the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs B.T. Oyinloye.
The circular was addressed to the Executive Chairman of TESCOM, Executive Chairman of SUBEB, permanent secretaries, Inspector-General of Education Services, tutor-generals, zonal directors, local inspectors of education, principals of public and private schools, principals of technical colleges and head teachers across the state.
According to the ministry, the decision became necessary to safeguard the lives of students and staff amid recent security concerns.
The circular read, “All School Administrators are hereby directed to suspend all excursions, field trips, sports competitions and any other activities that require moving students outside school premises until further notice.
“Kindly note further that prior approvals granted by the Ministry are hereby overridden by this directive. Meanwhile, the safety of our children is non-negotiable and takes precedence over all academic and extracurricular activities.”
The ministry further directed school administrators to ensure students remain within school premises during school hours and to promptly report suspicious activities around schools to security agencies within their jurisdictions.
It added that the directive takes immediate effect and would be reviewed once the security situation improves.
“Kindly ensure strict and necessary compliance with the content of this circular,” the permanent secretary stated.
