Oyo Gov Applauds Old Students for N40m School Facelift

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has commended the Old Students’ Association of Ibadan City Academy, Eleta and the School Governing Board (SGB) for spending over N40 million on the rehabilitation of 15 structures, including classrooms, laboratories and the school library, while five other structures are currently under renovation.

The school also has six teachers under the employment of the old students to take care of various subjects like English Language, Mathematics and sciences to support teachers under the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), while a borehole was sunk for the students to have access to portable water.

The governor, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan at a capacity building seminar organised by the old students, in conjunction with the SGB, said the current situation as far as public schools’ facilities are concerned is pathetic, reiterating the administration’s readiness to take the all-encompassing education policy to a greater level.

The old students had invited five education experts from the United Kingdom, from the Association of Nigerian Academics in UK, among who was a member of the old students.

They took over hundred teachers through the modern and up-to-date requisites of teaching methodologies and learning styles that could enhance students’ performance.

The governor also promised to partner the UK-based association to spread the gains of the capacity building programme to other areas of the state.

“On behalf of the government and the people of Oyo State, I want to appreciate the alumni of Ibadan City Academy and its SGB for their efforts to complement government in uplifting education in the state.

“Government cannot do everything. We urge people in and outside the state to inculcate this laudable effort and contribute to the growth of education in the state to propel the needed effect on other aspects of human life.

“Let me give kudos to the last administration for bringing SGB on board, but I want to add here that our administration will take the policy to a greater height. On behalf of Oyo State government, I have the privilege to tell you that we are ready to partner with you because we know that no matter the cost of building structures in schools, if capacity of teachers is not updated, then the buildings are nothing.

“I want to add that with what we have seen here, by the time you come here next year, we would have done our own bit that you will have a good story to tell,” he said.

The President General of the old students’ association, Pastor Titiloye Richard said the ‘train the trainers’ seminar was targeted to better the lives of students which could be achievable by training the teachers to impart the right type of knowledge in the students.

“At the end of this capacity building seminar, we expect the teachers to have a new horizon into teaching and impacting on students and for them to identify that the students do not have the same capacity and that they must be able to accommodate all types of students when it comes to teaching methodologies.

“In the last three years, we have taken it as a responsibility to give facelift to the school and that is why we renovated about 15 classrooms, school laboratories and library which had gulped up to over N40 million. We call on government to take it where we have gotten to and do the needful.”

The Chairman of the School’s SGB and an old student, Dr. Bashir Olanrewaju commended the governor for making education accessible to all strata of the society in the state by introducing free education in all public schools.

He pledged the support of the old students and its SGB to the education policies and pursuits of the government while promising that students of the school would perform well in all their internal and external examinations.

One of the participants at the seminar and a teacher of Financial Studies, Mr Adeniyi Temitope appreciated the old students and SGB of the school for broadening the knowledge of the teachers with the seminar which he described as interesting, promising to make good use of what he learned in impacting positively on the students.