Proprietress Tasks School Owners on Revitalising Public Schools

The Proprietress of Standard Bearers School Lagos, Mrs. Modupe Adesanya-Oni has stressed the need for private school proprietors to help in the revitalisation of the public schools system in the country.

Adesanya-Oni, who was speaking on the sidelines of the 2021 Children’s Day celebrations, noted that the current reality is that several well-heeled private schools are doing much better than other less endowed private schools, as well as the bulk of public schools in the country.

She said the situation is not conducive for rounded educational development across the country.

The proprietress, who has been in the teaching profession for four decades, stated that in line with the need to walk the talk, she and several other like-minded professionals in the sector, had already begun to carry out activities to help bridge the gap and also advance the overall vision of quality education for all.

According to her, “I belong to a group where we have actually taken on board the assignment to help schools whose pupils are paying between N20,000 and N25,000 and below as fees, to help train their teachers. It is just a voluntary thing that we are doing.

“Just recently, we had our first online version of the project and we were able to reach more people than we could have at a physical event. We had people from Port Harcourt and other places participating.”

She said this showed that the teachers were actually looking for the help, but it is just that nobody really remembers them, adding that the group is committed to working with them.

Adesanya-Oni, who was a teacher at Corona Schools before establishing Standard Bearers School, Lekki some 24 years ago, said it is imperative for stakeholders to take active interest in matters that have to do with the application of technology in the school system and the continued development of the teacher, adding, “there is indeed a need to pay specific attention to the peculiar educational needs of every child, as the education enterprise is not a one-shoe-fits-all experience.

“The big school doesn’t really work for every child because sometimes it goes beyond doing well in school. It is also about having the freedom to choose, the need for a bit more engagement. So some children would probably benefit more from a smaller school setting. Different schools work for different children. And you need a school where the children would not just go but will thrive,” she stressed.

The proprietress also harped on the importance of inculcating confidence in children, saying that it was a major component of the learning diet in her school.

“In talking about my children here in the school, and what I think is most notable about them, I will say it is their confidence. We don’t tell them what they cannot do, rather we tell them that if you can dream it, you can do it. We are a small school, a family school, and we believe that children should be able to express themselves in their natural environment. Because if there is anything to correct, it is through their expression that we can see it. We make it a way of life for them.”

“Confidence is the most important thing for children. For a lot of children, their voices are being drowned out under that old philosophy of children only being permitted to listen and not being heard.”