UAC Restates Commitment to Improving Students’ Performance

The UAC of Nigeria Plc has reiterated its commitment towards equipping students with knowledge and skills that will make them more competent and confident, as well as increase their opportunities for leading productive lives and enhancing their usefulness to the society.

As part of its activities to actualise these goals, the company had 10 years ago established the UAC Goodness League Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative to supplement government’s efforts in addressing the ills of the sector.

The programme was borne out of the need to bring into greater focus the critical role education plays in the transformation of any nation as well as also emphasising the inalienable right of every citizen no matter the background to have access to quality education.

According to the company, the UAC Goodness League addresses the hard and soft issues in the education sector. “While the hard issues focus on the positive intervention in schools through the provision of infrastructure, power and equipment; the soft issues identify academic gaps and fill them through a volunteer scheme that provides a platform for our managers from within the UAC group to volunteer to impart knowledge and provide guidance and counselling services to students through the UAC Goodness Free Weekend Classes.”

Speaking at the closing ceremony of this year’s free weekend classes held at the Government Senior College, Agege, Lagos, the Executive Director, Corporate Services of UAC of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Joe Dada, stated that the UAC Goodness League initiative was conceived to not just impart knowledge, but more importantly inspire future generations to rise to the pinnacle of their career and have the best out of life.

“The programme’s intervention in the area of infrastructural and equipment supply in schools has so far benefitted the different geo-political zones across the country. The free weekend classes which form the soft issues focus on two key areas – weekend classes and career and guidance counselling sessions in schools.
“The classes are targeted at final year senior secondary school (SS3) students and hold mostly during the summer holiday period, except for this year’s edition which witnessed a slight change due to security concerns at the time in Lagos State.”

He said the programme continues to be well received in Lagos State with over 3,000 students benefitting from the free weekend classes in the past 10 years across the different centres where the programme had operated. He added that since its commencement, the UAC Goodness League free weekend classes have been handled by volunteer managers from the various subsidiaries and departments within the UAC Group.

He said the subjects taught during the free weekend classes include Career Guidance and Counselling, English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Accounts and Government
In her remarks, the Tutor General/Permanent Secretary, Education District One, Mrs. Olufolayimika Ayandele, while commending the company for the initiative, said since the commencement, there has been an improvement in the WAEC results of students, adding that the students see the UAC staff as role models.

She disclosed that the benchmark for excellence is no longer credits in five subjects, but a good aggregate across all subjects and urged the students to always take their studies seriously.
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of prizes to the best students in each subject taught during the six-week period.