Queen’s College Principal Vows to Sustain Founders’ Vision, Bemoans Parents’ Interference

Uchechukwu Nnaike

The Principal of Queen’s College, Lagos, Mrs. Oyindamola Obabori, has reiterated the management’s commitment to sustaining the path and the vision of the founding fathers of this college, a path of excellence in girl-child education. 

She said this at the 2023 annual speech day and prize-giving ceremony of the college, organised to celebrate success,  reward hard work, good conduct and excellence. 

Upon resumption of the 2022/2023 academic session in September 2022, she said the management and teaching staff deployed all strategies to ensure that the syllabus for the various  arms were adequately covered.

“In addition to regular classes, extension classes were conducted in all the arms, from Monday to Saturday, 2:45 to 4:00 pm on weekdays and 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturdays,” she noted

Obabori stated that efforts to ensure success in the performance of the students are yielding the desired results, as evidenced by the recently released 2023 BECE results. 

“We are also quite optimistic about an outstanding result for our SS3 students by the time the WASSCE and NECO are released,” she said.

She commended the teachers for their cooperation and the parents for their support, understanding and encouragement toward the realisation of the school’s objectives. 

According to her, the management of the college has continued to leverage on ICT because of its various advantages to the students. 

“We have, at several times, deployed virtual learning as the need arose. Students are trained regularly on ICT learning skills and digital classroom usage by Skool Media and Cisco, the two ICT service providers in the college,” she stated.

The director/principal also lauded  the old girls for renovating the Rebecca Resource Room, and commended them for being mindful of the fact that the physically challenged possess varied inborn potential which could be unleashed through the use of computers, the internet and other ICT-enabled devices.

Obabori stated that the students also won laurels in sports and other co-curricular activities.

According to her, in the recently concluded sessional robotics competitions held in February in Abuja, tagged Nigeria Championship ‘Super Powered’ Challenge 2022-2023, the school’s Robotic team, Aurora emerged as first runner-up, and qualified to represent Nigeria in the World Robotics Tournament held in Australia in July. 

“The team was the first Nigerian, only African and only all-girl team on attendance. The experience was awesome and the exposure an eye opener,” she said. 

In terms of students’ welfare and discipline, the principal noted that there is an improvement in the tone of discipline in the college, and a reduction in cases of bullying and fagging. 

She noted  that students were increasingly becoming more aware of the folly of their actions, and the sanctions and punishments that followed.

She said the enforcement of the ‘touch and go’ mantra has also helped in minimising cases of bullying.

“I have introduced the college and principal’s pledge which the students recite during assembly. I am glad to say that this initiative is yielding positive results,” she noted.

According to her, the quality of meals prepared and served, in a neater and more hygienic environment, will continue to be enhanced.

“However, while good conduct is commended, the rod is not spared, as appropriate sanctions (in line with the FME Guidelines on Punishments) are meted out to those whose conducts are in breach of the college rules and regulations,” Obabori warned.

She said so far, some of her administration’s remarkable achievements include the construction of a bakery which caters for the hygienically prepared nourishing loaves for the consumption of Queen’s College community; solving the problem of epileptic water supply; and prevailing on Eko Electricity to stop and reverse the exorbitant billing system while reducing the previous debts.

Obabori however stated that there are several challenges, which, when tackled, could improve all-round performance of the college. 

“They include: Overstretched facilities due to the growing increase in students intake; renovation of PTA Junior Hostel which is experiencing serious dilapidation impeding on safety; interference from parents, which are a source of distraction to management.

“Others are dilapidated staff building; a completely dilapidated college hall which requires serious and quick intervention; maintenance of the college field; exposed electricity wiring; and inadequate teachers especially in Physical and Health Education, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry,”she said.

While commending the Federal Ministry of Education for its efforts towards providing a conducive environment for learning, she thanked other stakeholders for supporting the management to attain its goals. 

The Director of Senior Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir was among the dignitaries at the occasion. 

The event was chaired by a former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Ehigiator Arase, who is currently the Chairman of the Nigeria Police Service Commission.

The guest speaker was Mrs. Modupe Adeyinka-Oni, a social entrepreneur, a tech innovator, and a creative Early Child Development Advocate, a contemporary Parenting Consultant, African Cloud School Foundation.