Queens College Old Girls Donate Garment-making Laboratory to Alma Mater

The Queens College Old Girls Association (QCOGA) set of 2002 has equipped and donated a garment-making/clothing and textile laboratory worth millions of naira to the school.

Mrs. Yeside Olayinka-Agboola, set representative of the group, said the giveback project was part of activities marking the set’s 20th anniversary.
She said the initiative was to further equip younger girls with life skills, as well as encourage entrepreneurship while in school, especially in the face of the rising youth unemployment in the country.

“We provided 20 hand sewing machines, 10 treadle machines, huge wardrobe, cutting tables, mannequins, mirrors, stools and more, all running into some millions of naira,” she stated.

She noted that the college was a critical part of them all, whether individually or collectively as a group, knowing the impact it had made in their existence.
Olayinka-Agboola stressed that the college had taken a prime position regarding girl education in Nigeria since its establishment in 1927.
“Our aim is to, therefore, to ensure we promote and sustain that spirit of excellence it bequeathed to us, that had led to the all-round development of the girl-child. We did not want to choose things like the biology or science laboratory for this project,” he added. “We wanted something that would promote hands-on training among the girls because most of us out there are currently professionals in various fields of life endeavour, as well as entrepreneurs.”
In her remarks, the principal, Dr. Tokunbo Yakubu-Oyinloye, lauded the set for the project. She noted that the intervention was timely as skills development was a critical component of the college.

The principal added that self-employment was vital, noting that the college was not just equipping the students with thorough academics but also entrepreneurship that will make them become employers of labour as well.

“A student may be a lawyer, an accountant, an architect, yet excel in the world of fashion, ICT, makeup, printing and others. So we also want to encourage other sets to come back and give to their alma mater.”

The principal also thanked the federal government for introducing the trade subjects in its colleges, geared towards skills identification and development among the students.

“This in no small measure, will complement their certificates and hence tackle the issue of youth unemployment,” she stated.
Earlier, while inaugurating the project, Mrs Omolara Euler- Ajayi, a former principal of the college, the 16th principal (2001-2004), said the importance of skills acquisition in schools could not be overemphasised.