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THE NATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
EDUCATION
King’s College seeks N1.5b grant yearly
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TAKEHOLDERS of King’s College, Lagos want the Federal Government to spend N1.5 billion on the school yearly. They made the recommendations at a stakeholder’s forum held at the school hall last week during which parents, old and present boys, among others, gathered to chart a course for the 102-year-old institution for the next 25 years. In a communiqué issued at the end of the two-day programme on Tuesday and Wednesday, the forum urged the Federal Government to provide the fund as a grant for a fiveyear pilot period. Part of the communiqué, signed by the King’s College Principal, Otunba Dele Olapeju, and the Chairman of the School-based Management Committee, Prof Akintunde Cole Onitiri, read: “Government should use King’s College as a pilot school for yearly grant-in-aid of N1.5billion for fiveyear experimental phase.” The stakeholders are also seeking some form of autonomy for the college. They said: “Some heritage colleges, beginning with King’s College should be allowed some measure of autonomy in running their affairs and choosing its developmental strides like the reintroduction of Higher School Certificate, which King’s College pioneered in the 1950s.” Other desires of the stakeholders include that the SBMC be upgraded to a governing board, that all workers undergo training yearly, among others.
By Seun Olalude
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, Olapeju urged the governemnt to employ more teachers. He said the school needs over 200 teachers. He also sought training for the current ones for better performance. “The government needs to see to the training of teachers because children of the days are clever. This is why teachers must be ahead in all areas. We need first class teachers to provide first class pupils and this can only be achieved when they are exposed to what they need to know,” he said. The school, he said has recorded excellent performance in the junior and senior school certificate examinations. He also urged the Federal Government to see to the rehabilitation of aged infrastructure. “A significant part of the school is in a state of disrepair and requires rehabilitation or outright replacement. Some of the facilities need expansion to meet the purpose for which they were originally built. The Federal Government should provide funds for the maintenance of the infrastructural facilities in the college,” he said. Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, who donated N1 million to the school, urged parents and pupils to work for peace in the country. His words: “Parents, pupils should continue to work for the peace of this country through education; pupils you must pass through the school
and also allow the school to pass through you and seek the peace of your fatherland.” Also speaking, the SBMC Chairman, Prof Cole Onitiri, said Unity Schools have benefitted the education system. “We are enjoying what the United Kingdom parliament made possible. There are benefits to have KC and other unity colleges. This school
must remain and not only that, it should be what other schools should look up to. You are to keep it up,” he said. King’s College Old Boys Association President, Mr Hakeem BeloOsagie said the state of education determines the success of a nation and promised the school the old boys’ support. “Education is central to the success
of our nation. You cannot have successful economy without great men and women who have passed through reputable schools like KC. We support what is going on in this school but yet there is need to reposition the school. We will continue to support its development,” he said. The Minister of State for Education, Mr Nyesom Wike, who was represented by the Special Assistant, Dr Olu Ehis Ayewoh, urged old boys to arise to the support of their alma mater.
•From right: Erik Gregory, Pearson Foundation; Emeka Oparah, Director, Corporate Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility, Airtel Nigeria; Atinuke Adelekun, Coordinator, Bridge IT project; Kamarudeen Abatan, Deputy Director, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB); and Osagie Ogunbor, Head of Communications, Nokia West Africa, during the final day of the teacher training programme in Lagos.
EKSU alumni laud merger From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti
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•The teachers learning to make shapes
Assessment helps school boost teachers’ skills
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XECUTIVE Director of Mind Builders School, Ikeja, Lagos, Mrs Bolajoko Falore, is thankful she invited independent assessors to assess her teachers. Their recommendation that the teachers be trained to deploy instructional media in teaching, led to her contracting View Point Educational Services to mount a workshop for the teachers. Sixty teachers of Mind Builder and Taqwa Private School, Agege participated in the training held at Mind Builders school hall in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos during which they learnt to use overhead projectors, produce posters, charts, flash cards, improvise with local resources as instructional media, take pupils on field trips, source information on the internet, and engage experts within the community to serve as resources. Mrs Falore sat through the training with the teachers and participated
By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie
in all the activities they undertook. She described the training as an eyeopener. She said: “Every session we do assessment for our teachers. I called external assessors to assess my teachers and they told me they are good, know their subject matter but that their use of instructional materials was limited. I asked around and was referred to View Point. “This is a worthwhile programme. There were things I did not know myself. The teachers have been taught to use motivation to catch the attention of their pupils. I am expecting a drastic change in how they teach and deploy instructional materials.” A teacher at Mind Builders, Mr Olajide Jimoh described the session as mind blowing. “The training has been explosive. We have learnt so many new things
about using instructional materials. Many things are within our environment that we ignore. It only requires thinking and getting ideas. The erroneous thinking we had before was that to get instructional materials is expensive but with this training, we know we can improvise,” he said. Technical Drawing teacher at Taqwa Private School, Mr Oyedele Adejare, said what he learnt would change the way he teaches. “It will change how I teach. Making use of instructional materials makes teaching interesting. The students see the object and it tends to pass the information across better,” he said. Mrs Sidikat Abiola, Chief Exexcutive Officer of View Point who anchored the training with other facilitators underscored the importance of instructional media in teaching and learning. She argued that if teachers would deploy
instructional media, more pupils would pass the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). She said: “We feel that most students fail WASSCE because teachers are not using instructional materials. They need to dramatise, use films, relia, and models that make teaching interesting and help retention. A student that goes on excursion is better than one who does not. Such trips bridge the gap between the society and the school. We taught them the importance of community resources – like inviting a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to talk about crime. We also taught them modern ways of using Information Communication Technology (ICT) to generate instructional media. It is a sin for a teacher not to know how to use the computer. A teacher that uses instructional media, also gets students involved in its use,” she said.
KITI State University (EKSU) Alumni Association has praised Governor Kayode Fayemi for merging the three state-owned universities. The association said the merger was in the best interest of the state considering the financial implication of running the three institutions against a weak financial base. Based on the recommendations of a Special Panel on Education and the State Education Summit, the government merged the University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD), University of Science and Technology, Ifaki-Ekiti (USTI) and The University of Education, Ikere Ekiti (TUNEDIK) required named them Ekiti State University (EKSU). In a statement by Secretary, Incorporated Trustee of the alumni body, Asiwaju Oludotun Adetunberu, the alumni urged the government to seek a competent university administrator to head the institution, given its new status as a mega university, with special challenges of a large population of students and workers The association noted that although the 10-year requisite experience required could be considered sufficient, government should give stricter conditions for qualification to ensure the best candidate emerges in the best interest of the state. The Association, which advised that selection/appointment of a vice-chancellor should not be based on political/ethnic considerations, cautioned that the goal of taking the institution to academic excellence would not be served if priority is given to vested interests over enduring virtues.