Imo Pledges Support for GSS Owerri Old Boys Award Ceremony
Imo State government has committed to support the Annual STAR Awards by the Class of 81, Old Boys Association, Government Secondary School (GSS), Owerri saying, its capacity-building initiatives, the Career Mentorship Programme is targeted to curb youth restiveness menace.
Imo State Commissioner for Youth and Talent Development, Dr. Emeka Ukaegbu, pledged while speaking during the Awards by the Class of ’81 of the Old Boys Association of Government Secondary School (GSS), Owerri, held over the weekend in the school premises.
Speaking in a statement signed by Emeka Mba, Chairman of the Awards Project Committee, on Thursday, to mark the event, being its 4th Edition, Ukaegbu expressed delight at the curriculum of the Career mentorship programme by the Class of 81.
The commissioner stressed the inherent benefits of a career mentorship programme in providing a pool of talented students equipped with skill sets and enhancing the local and global competitiveness among them in various career endeavours.
According to him, the initiative will ultimately curb the menace of youth restiveness through its capacity-building which positively engages young people.
Speaking during his facility tour of the school’s ICT Lab, the Imo State Youth and Talent Development Ministry boss added, “I am proud to have been nurtured through this institution in my formative years, and every single opportunity to visit the school often stirs nostalgia.”
Ukaegbu said, “The vision of the state government is to identify and support opportunities for developing a pool of talented youths in the state through sustainable enterprise development and to curb the perennial menace of youth restiveness through capacity building initiatives such as the career mentorship programme which seeks to hand-hold students as they navigate their career paths.”
On his part, Iyke Ezeji, Class Captain of the Class of 81, explained that the initiative was meticulously designed as a Human Capital Development intervention to help inspire students, and deepen the Learning and Development curriculum of the academic institution.
“The initiative was inaugurated over four years ago as the anchor of the theme for promoting a culture of academic excellence through reward and recognition for stellar academic performances of students in the institution,” he added.
He said the awards also reward and recognise teachers for outstanding pedagogy; athleticism and students who demonstrate exemplary leadership in championing environmental sustainability practices.
In his keynote address on the occasion, the Imo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Johncliff Nwadike, applauded the Class of 81 for what he described as a high social impact initiative.
He expressed deep-seated conviction that the outcome of the initiative would catalyse sustainable enterprise development in the state and nation at large.
The commissioner disclosed that the state government considers Government Secondary School, Owerri as a fertile landscape for the pilot phase of the state-wide SMART Schools Programme scheduled to be launched before the end of the year.
“This would build on the huge successes and gains of the initiative,” he added.
The 2024 event had in attendance stakeholders from the diverse sectors of the economy such as government, industry, and civil society. Two state commissioners were physically in attendance to inspire the students and extend a hand of partnership to the event organisers, the Class of 81 Old Boys.
The Annual STAR Awards was initiated by the Class of ’81 of the Old Boys Association of Government Secondary School, Owerri, and has been celebrating academic excellence for over four years, the statement said.
“The awards serve as a cornerstone for fostering a culture of academic excellence by recognising and rewarding outstanding performances among students across various classes within the institution.”
