The Osun state governor, Ademola Adeleke, Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and other dignitaries are billed to be in attendance at the commissioning of an intra-school road project worth N35m and other developmental projects by 1979/1984 set of old students of St. John Grammar School, Oke-Atan, Ile-Ife, Osun state.
This formed part of activities marking the 40th Anniversary of the set.
Also, 50 outstanding students including the indigent ones would be awarded scholarships.
The chairman of the 40th anniversary, Barr. Abiodun Olabampe in an interview with the newsmen disclosed that the newly constructed 400 metres concrete road worth N35m would be commissioned during the 3 days event slated for 27th-29th June, 2024.
The event, according to him, will feature medical outreach for students, parents and teachers, a scholarship award for 50 deserving students to cater for their finances, a career talk, a football match between teachers and old students, and an award night among others.
Olabampe stated that the set has contributed immensely to the development of a Catholic missionary school established in 1962 with the renovation of the school library a few years ago.
He urged old students of schools across the federation to contribute to their Alma mater to uphold a standard of education in schools, saying most schools now rely solidly on their ex-students for survival.
Speaking on the recent poor performance of students in the last JAMB result, Olabampe lamented that the standard of education generally has fallen in all aspects, saying it can be restored with the help of old students.
He said how government-run education particularly in public schools was not good enough because education in public schools in Nigeria is nothing to write home about.
He said, “When you look at schools then and now, you will see that schools that are performing are mostly missionary schools or parent teachers’ schools, unlike public schools.
“If you look at recent JAMB results, over 30 students scored 300 in JAMB in Kwara state, those are schools that have standard, purpose, discipline, and know what they are doing, when they employ teachers in those schools, they give them a kind of incentives, training, and dedication to sustain that kind of school, unlike public schools.
“The way school is been run is affecting the performance of those schools, that is why if you see any school that is still performing, it will be a missionary school that is been manage according to discipline and standard of that mission.
Olabampe while reacting to the call for Catholics to take back the school described it as a welcome development for standard and discipline, saying the government that has funds to put into schools is not doing enough because the budget for education is nothing to write home about.
