The Nation Newspaper

Tag: parents

  • Parents urged to do their part

    Principal of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, Rev Chris Ugorji, was excited about sending off the first set of SS3 pupils since assuming office last August.

    The graduands, over 500 of them, were gaily dressed in blue blazers on white.  Proud parents, who looked their best also turned out in large numbers to celebrate the most significant day that marked the end of their wards’ secondary school education.

    The event was graced by a long line of dignitaries from the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, the private sector and host community.

    Ugorji’s 24-page report ended with an admonishment to the graduands to allow themselves be guided by God to succeed in life.

    “To our students who are passing out, congratulations for completing your secondary education in this great college.  Remember as you leave this college, you are stepping into an outside world full of challenges.  Brace up to face the challenges and overcome them because there lies your success in life.  Let the Spirit of God be your guide.  Be disciplined at all times; be good ambassadors of the college, so that you can be useful to yourself and the society at large.  May God bless you,” he said.

    However, Ugorji also had a word for parents, cautioning them against abandoning their wards for the school.

    He said: “Our message to our parents today is that they must continue to train their children both in character at home so that when they come to the colleges, we will have less work to do. Many of our parents have left their children to the teachers alone, we are all stake holders; many of our parents are doing it but majority are still not doing it. But I am sure with what we are doing on ground here, as we continue to continuosly preach. Parent will begin to take their place in their homes for their children

    In his address, the Director, Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Mr Chike Uwaezuoke, praised the principal for improving the infrastructure of the school.

    “Moving round the college, it is evident that infrastructural development is receiving prime attention as the college is definitely wearing a new look with remarkable improvement in the general environment when compared with the previous years,” he said.

    His counsel to the graduands was that they should make use of all they learnt in the college.

    Also speaking, the Director, Technical and Science Education, FME, Dr Rosetta Isiavwe, underscored the importance of the science and technical education the graduands had received.

    “Science and Technology education is very important for the development of any nation.  Many developed nations are able to achieve so much because of science and technology.  Today, we communicate daily with our friends, relatives and loved ones on phone.  This is a product of science and technology education.  Therefore, as you go into the larger society, I challenge you to think more about what you can contribute to the development of your country, Nigeria,” she said.

  • Parents, pupils urge Ambode to retain school

    Parents, pupils urge Ambode to retain school

    The Parents’ Forum and pupils of the Aunty Ayo Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School Obalende (AAGCSSS), Lagos have sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, to revisit the decision of his predecessor Babatunde Raji Fashola  to hand over the school to the private owners.

    The school was founded by the late Mrs Ayo Manuwa for the education of less-privileged girls. She handed it over to the state government in the 80s.

    The parents are appealing to Ambode to stop the process of  returning the school to the family of the late Manuwa, a process that has already begun.

    Chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Mr Saheed Olalere, fears that if given to private owners, children from poor homes would be denied access to education, a policy he said was against the wish of the late founder.

    Making the appeal over the weekend at the retirement programme of the school’s Principal, Mrs Janet Adebo, Olalere said: “As at today, only two public schools are in Obalende, and by allowing private ownership of AAGCSSS, the less- privileged in the society will not have access to education.”

    Giving other reasons for the government not to hand over the school, Olalere claimed that the new owners were not direct descendants of the late founder and do not share her philosophy but are only interested in the school’s real estate.

    “No direct descendants of the late Manuwa attended meetings held during Fashola’s era.  The extended family members and some officials of the Ministry of Education, who know the history of the school and want to exploit it, were those present at the meetings.

    “The renewed interest of the exploiters is because the school remains the biggest government-owned secondary school in terms of land mass and students’ population in the Ikoyi-Obalande axis. The land mass is the core of the problem,” he said

    Olalere said returning the schools would be against the wish of its founder, who voluntarily relinquished the school to the government. Moreover, he said the late Manuwa also founded two other schools – Aunty Ayo International School, a private school, and Aunty Ayo High School – which was taken over by the family while Mrs Sarah Sosan was deputy governor/commissioner for education.

    The Parents’ Forum wants Ambode to find out why the governing council of Aunty Ayo International School wants to go against the wish of the founder.

    Supporting Olalere, the Chairman of the Obalende Landlords Association, Prince Soji Ladejobi, appealed to the governor not to let poor students be deprived of education.

    Some of the pupils also appealed against the sale of their school, urging Ambode to use his office to secure their access to affordable education.

    The dis-engagement for private ownership is ongoing in the school, as no new pupil has been admitted over the last two years.

    But a source in the Ministry of Education, who pleaded not to be mentioned, debunked the parents’ claim that some elements in the ministry were interested in the school. As claimed by the parents, the source also said it is not compulsory that the direct descendants of the late founder must be  on ground during meetings, noting that once there are other blood relations that should negotiate on behalf of the family, a deal could be struck.

    Speaking with our reporter on phone, the source said: ”If the school has a large land mass, how would that benefit those in the ministry?”

    “The issue is simple. The government forcefully took over some schools from their owners some years ago. The government has now decided to return same school to them with certain conditions attached; and those who met the conditions are reclaiming their schools.

    “The parents need not be afraid because the government prioritises the interest of the children, and will ensure the last student to leave the school is protected without paying a dime. But parents cannot say they don’t want the government not to return the schools to their real owner.”

    The source, however, asked the aggrieved parents to write a letter to the Commissioner for Education, adding that perhaps that would assuage their fear.

  • Why parents should not overprotect their kids

    Dear Harriet, I am so worried about my children. I feel they are only safe when I am around them. What is the effect of overprotection on children. How does it affect their personality development?  Please, I need to know.

    Mrs Nkechi D., Port Harcourt.

     

    In most cases, overprotective parents assume that they are doing their children a lot of good by keeping them safe without noticing that this parenting style has severe effects on their children, such as robbing them the essential life skills that they need in order to have a healthy personality and to face life problems.  One of the main tasks of parenting is to encourage enough confidence and capabilities in a child to equip him or her to leave home and function independently of mum and dad when he or she reaches adulthood, but over protectiveness is a hesitation or inability to do that.

    However, it is often hard to determine the exact dimension of over protectiveness anyway. Several ways this can be shown are as follows:

    •Parents who will not allow their children out of their sight, except at school and perhaps at church or mosque.

    •Parents who find it hard to allow teens to grow, relate to their teenagers very similarly to the way they relate to their eight-year old or toddler for instance.

    •Parents who  screen or monitor their  teenagers’ phone calls

    •Parents who consistently refuse permission for teenagers to do things considered age appropriate by other reasonable parents.

    •Parent who exhibit a determination to protect the child from  harm.

    •Parents who offer oversight of even the smallest details in the teen’s life.

    •Parents whose rules are rigid and are equally non-negotiable.

    •Parents who seem to have difficulty trusting the young person.

    The above, however, are highly subjective measurements of overprotectiveness. The most reasonable parents, for instance, will sometimes refuse permission for his son or daughter to do things that other reasonable parents consider appropriate. Generally speaking, however, the above tendencies are typical of overprotective parents.  Notwithstanding, there are different reasons parents react in an overprotective manner. Such action may be founded upon one or more of the following causes.

    Fear: It is a common factor among overprotective parents. Today’s world is a frightening place in which to raise children. Many parents worry about their children’s vulnerability to the dangers they see featured on the news. Over protective parents are sometimes fearful to an irrational degree. Don’t get me wrong.  A certain amount of fear for children’s safety is normal and healthy, but allowing exaggerated fears to prevent youth from engaging in the normal activities of their peers can be harmful.

    Sibling’s rebellious behaviour: Overprotectiveness may also be as a result of failure with an older child. For example, Kate gave her parents every reason to trust her and allow her to attend night parties with her school friends because her older sister’s first experience with smoking and drinking took place at night parties. Kate’s parents refused to allow her to attend similar parties. For fear that Kate would follow in her sister’s footsteps. Jane is not the same sort of person her sister is, but she nonetheless had to pay for her sibling’s action.

    Parents’ past: If one or both parents were rebellious in their childhood or adolescence, they may respond by determining that they will prevent their child from making similar choices. Parenting styles are typically a reflection of or a reaction to the way we were raised.

    The child’s misbehaviour or shortcoming: If a parent views a child as immature, incapable, or limited by physical, mental, or developmental challenge, he may respond by becoming overly protective. Indeed, at some levels, there is a need to protect such a child. However, an overprotective parent will usually resort to counterproductive control and manipulation rather than healthy support and encouragement based on an understanding of the child’s potential to develop and mature. Extra parental precautions may indeed be required for certain children, but there must still be a balance between ensuring safety and allowing our children to try new things and develop new capabilities.

    Lack of relationship: Many parents try to lay down rules without first establishing a real relationship with their children. Mum and dad may see their parental role as primarily that of a judge or a police officer, they focus on rules and may measure how well they are doing by how many rules they have established and how well the children adhere to those rules. Such  parents not knowing how to form and nurture a real relationship may rely on the good behaviour of a child to bolster the parent’s own relationship needs a poor and unfulfilling substitute of course.

    Parental loss or emotional needs: Sometimes mothers, for example, who feel unfulfilled in their relationships with spouses will divert their pain by focusing obsessively on their child or children. (This can also be true of fathers though that is less common). Some parents become overprotective in an effort to fill their own emotional needs. They are afraid that if they lose the child, their own love needs will be unmet. They may also believe that they are protecting the child from a father’s or mother’s lack of involvement.

    Moreover, the effect of overprotection is that it sends an unconscious message to the child, telling him or her that the world is not a safe place. This can also affect a child’s self-esteem as a result of preventing the child from taking charge he or she starts to think that he is not capable of facing life on his or her own and so the self-esteem will start to deteriorate, if not properly handle. In addition, the child will not attend new things that he or she is not familiar because it will appear unsafe to him or her. Anger, depression and rebellion are also another effects of overprotection.

    Others are emotional withdrawal, increase in dependency, eating disorder and panic disorder. As parents, as we guide our children through the right path of life, we should let them make their mistakes as children and learn from them. They need the opportunity to develop the tough skin that will get them through adulthood. For a child to be self confident, trustworthy, we need to allow them solve certain problems on their own. Discuss issues with them, but still allow them to think on their own. Let them explore themselves, for example, writing home work for a child is not helping the child in anyway.  They should be allowed to figure out issues themselves, knowing their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, it is good to care, love our children, but also let them explore the world, while keeping an eye on them.

     

    Harriet ogbobine is a counselor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only 08023058805. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj

  • FRSC urges parents on children’s safety

    FRSC urges parents on children’s safety

    In its bid of reduce untimely death of children, the Ota Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Matthew Olonisaye (ACC), has urged the school proprietors to include child safety education as part of their curricular.

    This, he said, would guarantee the safety of the young ones from various attacks and mishaps befalling them on daily basis.

    Olonisaye spoke during a children’s safety and sensitising programme, organised by the command for the public, school owners and the pupils. It held at the command’s ground.

    The theme of the programme was “Children’s Safety and Security: A Shared Responsibility.”

    He said: “The theme was considered suitable because of the ugly trend of insecurity of children across the nation. He noted that the welfare and security of Nigerian children need more improvement and requires urgent measures, including actions to curb road mishaps.

    Olonisaye said: “It is imperative to be reminding the public that young ones are more prone to dangers of road crashes caused by factors of which human errors take the lead.

    He urged parents and guardians to be more committed to the responsibility of ensuring the safety of their children/wards rights.

    Olonisaye advised parents, guardians and drivers to consider these tips to enable them to achieve reduction or total eradication of maiming of children on the roads. He said: “Every driver should be consistently educated on security and road sign consciousness while driving. Children also should be watchful and vigilant while in transit.

    On vet domestic staff, he said parents should ensure their domestic staff are properly examined and scrutinised before they are employed; noting that the domestic staff must always be studied. He further said that most incidents of child kidnapping have been traced to domestic staff.

    Concerning child education and supervision, Olonisaye advised parents/guardians to “ensure their children/wards are taught on issues concerning discipline and moral behaviours, choosing the right friends and guide them against atrocities and other social vices that could jeopardise their future. As the Bible says ‘train up a child the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” the FRSC boss added.

    The chairman and chairperson of the occasion, Mr Abidemi Oguntade and Mrs Jackie Kassim, requested that the FRSC should organise more orientation programmes such as this. They said most of the drivers lack adequate knowledge on road signs because some of them didn’t attend driving schools.

    Mrs Jackie said a lot of orientation and enforcement need to be done by the FRSC, noting that majority of the commercial drivers are ignorant of roads rules and regulations. She urged the Corps to start the orientation from the scrap and to be strictly before issuing the driving licence to the drivers.

    She urged the Corps to increase their enforcement on recalcitrant motorcyclist carry overloading and riding against traffic. These, she said is one of the major cause of crashes on the road.

    Mrs Jackie appealed to the parents and private vehicle owners to always consider the safety of their children when loading their vehicles.

  • Parents warned against child abuse

    Apapa Local Government Executive Secretary Mrs Bolaji Dada has advised parents to desist from abusing their children.

    She decried a situation where over 40 per cent of children take to street trading, warning that the it could force them into crime.

    Parents, she said, must provide for their children instead of sending them to the streets to hawk to support the family.

    Mrs Dada said: “We owe the children a lot of care and monitoring, unfortunately, the reverse is the case because we neglect our responsibilities to them by embarking on frivolous activities. We lay emphasis on mundane issues at the expense of the lives of these children.

    “It is my own opinion that parents should desist from child abuse of all forms. Some children have been exposed to very disastrous ventures which have adversely affected them. How does one describe a child that is exposed to hawking at a tender age or one exposed to rape, prostitution, armed robbery, drug addiction and other social vices? All these are due to parental neglect.”

  • ‘How parents can help stamp out bullying’

    ‘How parents can help stamp out bullying’

    The U.N. in 2012 declared 4th May as official anti-bullying day with the aim of preventing bullying. While about 25 countries which include the U.K, USA and Australia have adopted various anti-bullying policies, Nigeria, unfortunately, is yet to adopt any despite its prevalence in our schools, offices and communities. Adesola Oyinloye-Ndu, an activists is behind Bullying is not an option, a special training module developed to tackle bullying, speaks with Adetutu Audu.

    WHAT really is bullying? Bullying is defined as deliberate intimidation or persecution of those

    who are perceived as “weaker”. The victim of bullying is usually

    referred to as the “target”. Bullying ranges from one-to-one bullying

    to more complex bullying where the bully may have one or more

    “assistants”. Bullying comes in various forms. These include: physical bullying where there are physical assaults such as hitting, pushing, kicking, tripping, choking, spitting at, forcing into vices

    such as gayism or lesbianism and stealing.

    Emotional bullying, which could be further classified into psychological, social and relational bullying; Psychological bullying could be in the form of gossiping, isolating, ridiculing, passing notes, threatening gestures. Social bullying involves hurting

    one”s reputation or relationships, spreading rumours and embarrassing

    someone in public. Relational bullying hits at the very heart of a person’s self worth. It includes ignoring, public humiliation, and spreading rumours or lies.

    Verbal bullying is usually aimed at people’s culture, family, race, or religion and could come in the form of teasing, taunting, threatening, daring and name-calling.

    Sexual bullying, which is the unprovoked victimisation of a male or

    female, young or old, by physical assault, unwelcome sexual comments

    and rumour-mongering.

    Tribal bullying, which is an attack on a person”s tribe and cyber bullying which occurs over the internet or mobile phones.

    Who may be bullied?

    Anyone through no fault of his or hers could be bullied.

    Are bullies mainly big or tall?

    A bully may be small or big, tall or short, young or old but they all

    share one trait in that they often have poor social skills and judgment with few feelings of empathy, compassion and guilt. They have low self esteem, hence take on their targets to “feel good”. The bullied or targets are not the problem but the bullies! Bullies regardless of their background may be home-grown having come from a dysfunctional family where he or she was bullied at some point, or they may be anxious bullies because they suffer from deep insecurity and emotional distress or sadistic bully with a history of aggressive behaviour. There are some we call underachieving bullies due

    to their academic performance, hence take to bullying. Worse still is

    the bully/victim who may have once been bullied and turned into a

    Bullying, sadly, affects both the bullies and the bullied and this

    could be on short term or long term basis.

    Can you tell us the effect of this on the society?

    The effects of bullying on the bullied include fear, anxiety, stress, depression, intense pessimism, loss of self confidence, lack of motivation, sleeping disorder, alcohol or drug abuse, self harm or suicide. On the part of bullies, an unchecked aggressive behaviour at

    childhood may become a “normal routine” and the pattern of aggression

    or intimidation becomes more entrenched.  Studies suggest that teen

    bullies often fail in school, careers, friendship and relationship as

    they get older.

    So, what is the way forward?

    The U.N. in 2012 declared 4th May as official Anti-Bullying Day with

    the aim of preventing bullying. Whilst about 25 countries which

    include the U.K, USA and Australia have adopted various anti-bullying

    days, Nigeria, unfortunately, is yet to adopt any despite its prevalence in our schools, offices and communities.

    Parents, teachers, other adults and bystanders can help to curb

    bullying. Parents need to stay connected to their children. Career

    should not be a barrier in being close to one’s child. The boarding

    house is not a remand home where parents dump their kids and don’t

    bother to know what is happening to them. Parents, teachers and other

    adults should listen to a child’s complaint and help as appropriate.

    In our society, it is not uncommon to find adults blaming a victim of

    bullying.  Please, listen to the story of the bullied and help positively. This will in turn help the bullied regain his or her self esteem.

    You mentioned a bystander. Who is a bystander?

    A bystander is that person who witnesses the act of bullying on

    another. A lot of bystanders rarely intervene when bullying is taking

    place as they may either find pleasure in watching or they are learning vicarious bullying or they are afraid of the bully. Bullies because of their low self esteem love to have bystanders around as a show of strength when they bully their targets. Hence, bystanders should not show any interest even when the bully tries to invite them; encourage other bystanders to walk away, stand up against bullying and say things like “That is not nice, you know”; “stop it”, “How would you like it if someone did same to you”? Therefore fostering

    parents/children or wards relationship and encouraging children to

    speak out rather than shouting them down will boost self confidence of

    every child and reduce bullying incidents.

    Definitely, one cannot rule out school in dealing with bullying. Where do schools come in?

    Bullying should not be seen as norm. Unlike the myth that bullying

    toughens, it actually destroys and weakens self esteem and self worth.

    Some schools have “secret” anti-bullying squads that report bullying

    incidents to the school authorities. The members in these squads are

    usually appointed individually without the knowledge of other students in order to monitor and report bullying activities in classes and

    dormitories. Some schools accommodate students of the same class per dormitories with a supervising senior of the choice of the students in the dormitory. Raising awareness on bullying and its effect and having

    an anti-bullying policy in place and implemented in schools have been

    proven to curb bullying schools. It is a proven fact that most bullies in our schools in Nigeria do not understand the implications of their actions, hence see it as a game until someone talks to them about short and long term damages to themselves and their targets. I also encourage schools to engage students in creative thinking and writing so they can divert their energies in positive actions!

    Are there links between bullying and societal vices and crimes?

    Yes, there are. Are there are links between bullying and cultism….Yes, there are! Are there links between bullying and insurgency….Yes, there are!! Hence, the need to curb bullying in our schools is non-negotiable at a

    time as this when cultism, insurgency and drug abuse are topical issues in our country.

  • VC woos parents

    The JABU Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof Fajana, has urged parents to be more responsible for the moral growth of their wards.

    Fajana, who spoke at a Parents Forum organised by the university, said by so doing they would be supportive partners of the university in its quest to help the students grow into responsible individuals.

    The VC also used the medium to update the parents of the university’s achievements, which include: commencement of the law programme, collaboration with College of Social Sciences, Poland for a joint degree programme, and the successful hosting of second JABU annual quiz competition.

     

  • Cleric tasks parents on home training

    Cleric tasks parents on home training

    The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) South West region, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, has appealed to parents to continue to show love, understanding, kindness, firmness and offer ceaseless prayers to their children to safeguard them from negative influences.

    He spoke with our correspondent against the background of the recent revelation that some affluent Nigerian kids overseas have joined the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) militant group.

    Describing the development as worrisome, Atilade said parents must bring up godly children in the face of global terrorism, criminality and indoctrination.

    He lamented that many parents are abandoning their responsibilities to nannies and teachers, he said such neglect lead make youths vulnerable to strange and dangerous teachings.

    “Parents have abandoned their children and they are expecting the teachers to give the needed training to their children or ward. Training starts from the home,” he stated.

    He also implored security agencies to study and research on why growing number of Nigerian children are joining the ISIS, Boko Haram and other radical Islamic groups.

  • Science fair thrills pupils, parents

    Parents defied the scorching sun to visit almost all 36 stands on display at the third Mind Builders School Science Exhibition last Saturday.

    Pupils from the three branches of the school located in Omole Phase 1, Central Business District (CBD), and Omole Phase II, all in Ikeja axis of Lagos, displayed various scientific projects they embarked upon to prove various scientific phenomena.

    Projects on display at the event hosted by the Omole Phase II branch included model of a volcano and how it works, water purification system using sand filter, electromagnet, string telephone, simple electric circuit, how the parachute works, distillation and separation, water sprinkler or irrigation system, and the solar system among many others.

    Some classes also produced shoe polish, liquid disinfectant, liquid soap, and talcum powder (mutilated and perfumed).

    The pupils were excited about their projects and demonstrated how they worked to the panel of judges, made up of PTA executives and others that visited their stands.

    Education Director of the school, Mrs Bolajoko Falore, said the fair is a way of stimulating the children to use science and technology to solve local problems.

    “Science and technology is the bedrock of the economy of any nation.  Without that you cannot move.  A lot of things have changed as a result.  Let me start with the television we watch.  In our own days it was one big box; now we have the flat screen.  The latest is even the curved screen.  It is still the effect of technology.  It is the application of what we learn in science.  I believe that children at this level must have an enquiring mind – to move out of their boxes.  I believe these children have a lot in their head that they can put together and come up with something. I want them to move out of the box and do something extra,” she said.

    Mrs Falore also commended parents for their support.

    “This edition, the commitment is a lot better.  I want to thank the parents for their support,” she said.

    Mr Tayo Adegbohungbe, father of Oluwayemisi, a primary five pupil, said the programme would boost the confidence of the pupils in undertaking new initiatives.

    “I think it is a confidence booster for the children.  When you see them around doing things, they gain confidence; and it spurs them on to greater challenges,” he said.

    Another parent, Mrs Funmi Ibrahim, said she was happy to support the programme.

    “My daughter is in the class that produced the talcum powder.  I was happy to support morally, financially, to make it successful,” she said.

    Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, praised the school for the initiative.

    Mrs Fashola, who was represented by Mrs Arinola Shodipo, said: “It is quite impressive.  When you see our young scientist, I think they have this sense of accomplishment.  I am so impressed with what they have done.”

    At the end of the competition, Primary Four pupils in Omole Phase 1 won with 90.75 per cent for their project titled: “The logic behind the Themometer.” In second position with 90.5 per cent was Primary Four, Omole Phase 2, for their work on Construction of Door Bell; while Primary Six, Omole Phase 1 came third for their project on the Solar System, which garnered 89 per cent.

    In the inter-school competition, Carol School, Ogba, came first, Value Plus School, Ikeja, was second, while Tripple-Cross School, Ogba, came third.

     

  • ‘Motivate your wards, parents, teachers told’

    It was not just fun galore for  parents and teachers of  Doregos Private Academy at  the school’s prize giving day, but it was a time to remind them  of their roles in the lives of the pupils.

    As they gathered to celebrate at the programme which was part of the activities to commemoration the school’s 25th anniversary, the parents and teachers were advised to cooperate as they complement each other in the upbringing of the child.

    The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Ezekiel Ejidele, who gave the advice in his remarks said:  We are expected to assist, guide, pilot and encourage as well as motivate our children towards realising their full potential. We all know that appreciation is the feeling of happiness that we get the moment we realise we have done something good.  Even when they (students) are failing, you need not to hammer on their weaknesses but try to encourage them; they can do better. We need to appreciate them when they perform well but we need to appreciate them the more when they are failing. That which they think is impossible; we must always assure them that it is possible with minimal implemental effort”.

    To boost their morale, Ejidele said teachers and parents should compliment pupils’ efforts by using such words like “well done, thank you, you can do better, I am proud of you. These words as simple as they appear could motivate our pupils to wanting to do more”.

    He noted the performances of the prize winners serve as encouragement to both parents and the school and urged the non recipients to work harder.

    Corroborating the chairman’s speech, Mr Babatunde Babalola, a professor of Educational Management, University of Ibadan, who spoke on the theme “Learning for Sustainability”, said education should not be restricted to school as learning starts from home.  Therefore, he said the home has a basic responsibility to play. He explained that there are dynamics of teaching which is evolving and encouraged the school to be technologically alert in its teaching process. He however warned that teachers, pupils as well as school administrators should recognise their boundaries and responsibilities to make learning sustainable.

    The highlight of the event was the presentation of prizes to 94 pupils and 33 members of staff as well as the inauguration of the school’s science laboratory and tuck shop.

    Inioluwa Ejidele, who is the school’s ambassador for SS2 Class, attested that motivation from his parents has really helped him.

    I have always been lagging behind in Maths and English. My parents supported me by giving me private tutor aside the ones in school.  I receive home lessons at 8pm; at times my tutor sleeps in my house and by three to four in the morning, we tackle mathematics.  My Mum has really been by my side, every time she wakes me up, or keep alarm clock by my side.  At times she sits down with me and we study together.  My Dad is another source of encouragement to me. The presence of my Mum here is the major reason of my happiness today.  Her efforts truly have not been in vain”.

    On his part, Mr Ejidele said he relates with his son like his friend.

    “He is more like a friend to me; I don’t see him as a son. We are very close; we talk intimately. There are certain things I share with him that even his Mum does not know.  He has a big dream so we are always there to encourage him.  He knows how to manage his time.  At times when he feels he has disappointed himself as a friend I support him,” he said.

    Another prize winner from the JSS1 category, with 28 prizes, Bello Abubakar  fondly called ‘professor’ said he is a strong advocate of hard work and through the effort of his teachers and parents he has been able to abide by it.

    Mr Benardino Doregos, Executive Director of the school, said the occasion was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of pupils and members of staff as well as parents who have contributed to the progress of the school.