The Oyo State Government has reaffirmed that its free education policy remains in force, warning public school principals against collecting unauthorised fees or compulsory levies from students.
The government’s position followed allegations by a commentator, Mufutau Gbadegesin, that some school principals were demanding payments for the documentation of newly admitted Junior Secondary School One students and the collection of Basic Education Certificate Examination results by Junior Secondary School Three students.
In a statement on Saturday, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, described the allegation that the policy had ended as misleading, insisting that the administration remained committed to providing free and quality education.
“For the avoidance of doubt, free education in Oyo State remains fully operational,” Olanrewaju said.
He added that no public school was authorised to collect tuition or compulsory levies from students, warning that principals who violated the directive would face disciplinary action.
The government argued that isolated allegations of unauthorised payments, if established, should not be used to conclude that the state had abandoned its free education policy.
According to the statement, at least 75,000 out-of-school children have returned to classrooms across the state since the policy was introduced in 2019.
The government attributed the development to the removal of financial barriers to education, improved access to schools and increased public confidence in the education system.
It also listed running grants to schools, the provision of textbooks and other learning materials, the recruitment of teachers and improvements to school infrastructure through the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board and the Ministry of Education as measures supporting the policy.
Olanrewaju said the administration’s interventions demonstrated its continued commitment to expanding access to education rather than abandoning the programme.
He also cited a previous assessment that reportedly ranked Oyo State as Nigeria’s most liveable state, arguing that the recognition reflected, among other indicators, progress in the education sector.
The government, however, did not provide details in the statement on the specific allegations involving payments for JSS1 documentation and JSS3 examination results.
Describing Gbadegesin’s position as politically motivated, the statement maintained that the allegations did not reflect the broader situation in the state’s public schools.
“The administration will continue to defend every child’s right to learn without financial barriers, enforce strict sanctions against unauthorised levies, and deepen the reforms that have already brought over 75,000 out-of-school children back into classrooms,” Olanrewaju said.
The statement was signed by Olanrewaju on October 10, 2026.
