The Ondo State Teaching Service Commission has dismissed reports alleging that blood tests are being conducted on students in public secondary schools across the state as a condition for admission.
The commission described the reports circulating on social media as false, urging parents and members of the public to disregard the claims.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of TESCOM, Dr Mrs Oluwadaisi Oke, the commission explained that parents of newly admitted JSS 1 pupils were only required to voluntarily provide information about their children’s health status in their admission files.
Oke said blood tests had never been conducted on students within the premises of any public secondary school in the state, stressing that where medical tests were required, parents were expected to take their children to recognised and government-approved health facilities.
She said no TESCOM personnel had been authorised to carry out blood tests in public secondary schools, adding that the commission’s investigation did not establish any instance of such an exercise taking place.
According to the statement, parents have been responsible for taking their wards to public or private health facilities for relevant medical tests and subsequently supplying the required information on official admission documents.
The commission urged media practitioners and social media bloggers to verify information before publishing reports capable of causing confusion among parents and disrupting the education system.
TESCOM also appealed to parents to confirm information concerning the activities of its personnel through appropriate channels rather than relying on unverified claims circulating online.
