The Nation Newspaper

Tag: school

  • School celebrates maiden graduation

    It was a fun-filled and exciting day for the staff, pupils and parents of All Nations International School, Alagbado Lagos, asthey celebrated their maiden graduation and prize-giving day.

    The Proprietress of the school, Mrs olubukola cole, while speaking with reporters, recalled how the school birthed five years ago, with the vision to train children that would be confident and remain trail blazers in their chosen fields.

    Since then, she said management has not looked back. According to her, the product of this vision were the first set of graduands.

    Her words: “The school started about five years ago, we thank God that He has seen us through. People come here, and when they see the environment, they feel the environment is not big; but they are all impressed by what we have been able to turn out.”

    In her message to the pupils, she said:”Twenty children cannot play for 20 years, so wherever you find yourself in life, remember where you are coming from. You should not join bad gangs because that is easy in secondary school. I am confident that with the training you have received from here, there will be no problem.”

    Mr Koko Amba, a parent, said he was impressed by the school facility. “The way I have seen my child improve over the years, I am impressed, and I want them to continue in that direction. I believe that the school can still improve the more, because the more experience they gather, the more  they will improve. However,  the way they have started is very encouraging.

    For another parent, Mrs Oje Kehinde Uju, her advice is simple: “This is the first institution they have attended. They should please make sure that they further their education up to tertiary level. Right now the world is preaching the gospel of education, because education is a very essential tool for success.”

  • WHY FATHIA WILLIAMS, YINKA QUADRI WENT BACK TO SCHOOL

    WHY FATHIA WILLIAMS, YINKA QUADRI WENT BACK TO SCHOOL

    It is no longer news that, two top Yoruba actors, Yinka Quadri and Fathia Williams have returned to school.

    What is new is the reason behind the big step. Believed to be a welcome step among Yoruba movie practitioners, the duo of Yinka Quadri, and Fathia Williams, are presently undergraduates at Ogun State University, now Olabisi Onabanjo University.

    Both thespians were persuaded to go back for their higher education in order to keep pace with their counterparts in the English sector of Nollywood; which is believed to be dominated by Igbos. Information reaching us has it that there is a new body for movie practitioners, Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Producers’ Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), It is believed that TAMPAN will progress faster than ANTP. This is one of the reasons many of its actors are going back to school.

    Fathia Williams; who is studying English Language, in a statement, revealed that the decision is in line with her plan to start a film school while Yinka Quadri sees it as an opportunity to perfect his acting skills and film production.

  • Borehole for school

    MEMBERS of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai chapter of the National Association of Niger State Students (NANIS) have pooled resources to sink a borehole in Kobo campus.

    The borehole is the first major developmental project embarked upon by the association since its inception. It was  sunk to alleviate  students’ water challenge.

    Students hailed the project, describing it as selfless gesture. Amina Lawal, a 200-Level Science Education student, said water shortage had been a challenge in the school since it was established. She said the borehole would lessen the burden of students in getting water.

    Isaiah Iliya, a 100-Level Sports Science student, said: “I am very proud of NANIS for embarking on the borehole project. I just hope others would see this as an example of the things they should be doing to complement the management’s effort to provide basic amenities.”

    Habiba Abdulmalik, Vice President of the association, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE on behalf of the president, Ahmed Abdullahi, praised the management for supporting the association’s move.

    She said: “We came up with the idea of the borehole and we wrote to the authority for a place to sink it. Since there is a borehole in permanent site, which was provided by the Students’ Union Government (SUG), we thought the Kobo campus should have one too.” She promised the association would do more to leave a lasting legacy.

  • Firm renovate primary school

    Plusworld Roofing has concluded arrangements to  restore or renovate the roof of one public primary school in the country.

    Its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. John Igbaifua made this known in Lagos.

    He said for the change that Nigerians were clamouring for to come to reality, all hands must be on deck, adding that one of the best and easiest ways to effect change in any society is via its education system.

    “As Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘Be the change that you want to see in the world’. The change we so much desire starts from us. The easiest way to achieve this is by supporting sound education for the young ones, especially at the primary school level because only sound minds make sound decisions.  The environment where the students are thought goes a long way in determining the success or failure of any education policy. Good environment breeds sound education which in turn breeds sound mind and sound minds make sound decisions,” he said.

    Igbaifua added that though no specific school had been chosen, the lucky one would eventually emerge through voting by the public via the social media network, noting that this started last May and the school with the highest votes gets the nod.

    Early this year, the company,  with two of its foreign partners, organised a training for  youths in roof repairs and maintenance.

  • School offers DBA for executives

    Business executives who would like to develop skills to teach in the university can apply for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme of Nobel International Business School (NIBS), Accra, Ghana and Swiss Business School (SBS), Zurich, Switzerland.

    The program holds at the NIBS Campus in East Legon, Accra.

    Addressing the media in Lagos, President and Executive Dean of NIBS, Prof Kwaku Atuahene-Gima, said the programme, which is internationally accredited, would develop the research, publishing and teaching capacity of the executives who would to bring their business experience to the classroom to help students prepare for the real world.

    He said: “Those who graduate will gain acceptance and credibility above and beyond the level of consultants and EMBA-holders as people who can handle the most complex and nuanced business problems for their firms and/or employers.”

    Vice President of NIBS, Prof Per Jenster, lauded the programme for providing solutions to the complexity of the changing African business environment.

    A member of the NIBS international advisory board, Prof John Meewella, explained that the NIBS academic schedule is flexible to enhance successful completion of the programme.

  • School holds seventh graduation

    School holds seventh graduation

    It was a day of joy for teachers, pupils and parents of Cardinal Nursery and Primary School Iba, Lagos as they celebrated the school’s Seventh graduation.

    Head Teacher, Mr Samuel Kyei, prayed for the graduands, charging them to do well in their future endeavours.

    “You are about to leave one stage to move to another stage. There will be challenges, but with what you have learnt here, you will succeed,” he said.

    There was also a special prayer session for the graduands led by the school chaplain, Pastor Godwin Ajala Akpemiye, who advised them to be careful, especially with the friends they keep.

    “Peer pressure is one of the most powerful things in the life of teens and it may influence them either positively or negatively,” he said.

    Ten-year-old Opeyemi  Oso, who won the mathematics award, wants to attend a boarding secondary school “to experience life away from home.”  However, she said she would miss Cardinal.

    “The teachers are very good and we have a very conducive environment for learning,” she said, counseling those she is leaving behind to “be very attentive in class, and carry out every instruction your teacher gives.”

    For best in English prize winner, Ebunoluwa Showemimo, the future after his secondary education may see him in the sciences, as he said engineering is for him.

    He too has fond memories of his primary school, which he described as “nothing short of wonderful.”

    Parents were also treated to various performances by the children, including a traditional zulu war dance, which got everyone in the hall on their feet, and craving for more at the end.

    One of the main highlights of the event was the presentation of awards to outstanding parents. Mr Kyei said it was done to encourage the parents to continue to support the school.

  • Brewery stocks school

    Brewery stocks school

    The Nigerian Breweries Plc has rehabilitated and stocked a school library in Aba, Abia State. The brewers, through the Felix Ohiwerei Trust Fund, rebuilt and equipped the facility at Boys Technical College (BTC), Osusu Aba.

    The gesture brought relief to the school and the community.

    Through the Ohiwerei foundation many communities in Aba and such nearby settlements as Osokwa and Abayi, among others, have benefitted from the NBL project.

    NBL Plc has donated classroom blocks and equipped libraries in their host communities with various textbooks and other facilities.

    The result has been remarkable. Learning has improved, with pupils having more materials to study and in a convenient environment.

    It is a huge departure from what used to be. Schools often lacked basic infrastructure, a development that impacted negatively on the performance of pupils.

    However, in what seems to be a continued effort to further extend its service to Aba and Abia residents, NB Plc has yet singlehandedly refurbished and handed over a fully equipped modern library facility to the authority of Boys Technical College (BTC), Osusu Aba, Abia State.

    BTC is one of the technical schools in the southeast and Abia State where youths with various or no skill but have interest in fabrication and other craft are trained and equipped with the requisite knowledge to be self employed at the completion of their secondary school programme even if they don’t want to further their education.

    Speaking at the handover of the refurbished library, furniture and textbooks which attracted the presence of students, teachers and other management staff of BTC and NB Plc, Aba Brewery manager, Mr. Udah Ukeje said that the event was also used to mark the 2015 “Brewing a better World” (BaBW) project.

    Udah who was represented by Lolu Ogunkeye, head brewer, Aba brewery happing on the gains of education to the society stated that the company would never relent in its resolve to continue assisting the state and federal government in giving education a facelift.

    Ogunkeye, reiterating the importance of technical education which students of the secondary school were being exposed to, noted that the economic development of Nigeria would be on the increase and unemployment reduced drastically if special attention would be given to technical.

    Ogunkeye was optimistic that the refurbished library would enhance teaching and learning among teachers and students in the institution.

    “We believe that if we upgrade the school’s library it will go a long way [in empowering] the students to become better human beings and better future leaders, and that for us, is the foundation, because with knowledge, we will be able to do a lot more things”, Ogunkeye said.

    In his response, BTC principal, G.O. Nnamdi said he was excited over the project and thanked the management of NB plc for selecting their school as one of the schools that would benefit from their educational pet project.

    Nnamdi who promised to secure and put the donated items into good, used the opportunity to beckon on NB plc and other corporate organizations and well-meaning individuals in the commercial town and the state at large to come and help the school by providing them with technical education facilities and to complete the perimeter fencing of the school which he said would help them to secure the donated facilities from being carted away by hoodlums.

    Nnamdi said, “We have a lot of problems in this school, and we are happy that you have solved one of them, which is the library. We have a porous environment, our school needs fencing. We need also equipment in the workshop as well as electricity”.

    A senior staff at the State Secondary School Management Board (SEMB), Aba zone, Mr. Eugene Uzoma Nwaoha Nigerian Breweries plc has invested wisely into the future of Abia children and has also assisted Abia State Government in providing infrastructure in public schools in the State.

    While calling on the brewing company not to relent in their efforts in patterning with the state government to continue giving education a facelift in the state urged other organizations in the state to emulate the good steps of NB plc who have made education a priority in the Corporate Social responsibility.

    “If you go to some public schools in the state, like Ngwa High School and Osokwa Secondary School, you will see very magnificent class-room blocks, built and equipped by the Nigerian Breweries plc, and it has been so wonderful, because NB plc is not the only company in Aba, there are so many other companies that make money from this city and none of them has shown this type of interest in the education sector and I want to ask them to queue into the steps taken so far by NB plc”.

     

  • RCCG donates computers to school

    RCCG donates computers to school

    Teaching out to the needy has been a part and parcel of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). That is why the RCCG Lagos Province 10, Orile Agege, reached out to pupils of Government Senior College, Agege, Lagos with five desktop computers and two UPS.

    Pastor-in-Charge of Province, Pastor Joseph Olagbadegun, said the gesture was in line with the directives from the church’s General Overseer Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

    “Pasto Adeboye said we should give back to the society what God has given to the church,” he said.

    Explaining the rationale behind giving computers, Oladgbadegun said without the requisite ICT knowledge, present-day pupils will find it difficult to understand the modern-day technology.

    He however implored the pupils to face their studies and spend les on social media. The Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary, Education District 1, Mrs Adebowale Ogunfidodo, who received the equipment said: “We appreciate your kind gesture for presenting these sets of computers to our students.”

    She advised the pupils to maintain the equipment.

    The Vice-Principal (Administration), Mrs Farinde Bolanle, also thanked the church for remembering the school, which she said has the largest population in Lagos State.  However, she urged them to do more.

    The school Senior Girl, Ikeoluwa Mustapha also thanked the church for giving them the privilege to access technology. Present at the presentation were: Assistant Pastor-in-charge of the Province, Ayodele John, Pastor Ajayi Samson, Pastor Mrs Adeleye Deborah, Pastor Isaac Biyi, Pastor Esther Akinsola, Director Senior Tutor of Education, Mrs Buluro Abosede, and the Vice Principal (Academics), Mr Shoyebo Kolawole.

  • How school retains workers, by principal

    How school retains workers, by principal

    •Plans book for 20th anniversary

    One challenge many private schools face is high staff turnover.  However, that is not a problem at Dansol High School, Agidingbi, Lagos, where elaborate preparations have started to mark the school’s 20th anniversary later this year.

    Some of the programmes outlined for the celebration include a dinner during which supporters of the school would be rewarded, including workers who have stayed with the school for a long time.

    In an interview, the principal, Mr Esan Oladapo, told The Nation that the school retains most of its workers because of favourable welfare policies instated by its proprietor, Mrs Adun Akinyemiju.

    “Staff turnover, in DANSOL is relatively low, because of the welfare packages that the management has provided for the workforce, junior, intermediate and senior cadres.  There are people here that will be getting award for 20 years of meritorious service during our 20th anniversary. We have free medical services for staffers, both local and internationally-sponsored trainings, regular payment of salaries, annual increase of salaries, whether the workers are due for promotion or not, so far as you have contributed meritoriously during any session under review.

    “The organisation is like a home away from home due to the close rapport existing between the workers and the management, vis-à-vis the founders.  We work like father, mother, brother, sister so there is this cordial bond that detaching from this place to leave to another place, becomes difficult,” he said.

    Oladapo has stayed with the school for 18 years – 10 of which have been spent as principal.

    The cordial workers-management relationship is paying off for the school as Oladapo said its pupils continue to excel in public examinations – recording almost 100 per cent pass in Mathematics, English and five other subjects.  He said the school is also doing well in competitions with other schools.  The latest of the laurels the school celebrated last month was winning the gold category award for being among the top 250 schools in Africa in 2015 coordinated by the African Brand Review, a publication that reviews the performance of schools.

    The school also won the best in chemistry award in a competition organised by Lagoon Secondary School, Lekki, and came third in the debate organised by Cayley College, Agidingbi.  Aishat Bello, Dansol’s representative in the National Secondary School Mathematics Competition (Junior Category), won the first stage prize for Lagos State and would represent the state in the second stage of the competition holding this month.

    But the school is not done yet, as Oladapo promised that efforts at being on the top would be a continuous process.

    He said: “Now we have more modern instructional materials compared to the last few years. Dansol classrooms are now being equipped with e-learning facilities.  We are doing it in stages, we just finished for the SS1 and 2.  Next session we will move to the next stage. In the past too, we had just text books, in the library, but now apart from the hard copies, we now have the e-library, thereby exposing our students to the world around them, right within the confines of the classroom.”

    Activities lined up for the 20th anniversary, which Oladapo said would kick off October 9 (when the school opened to pupils) and end October 24 (when it received formal approval from the Lagos State Ministry of Education), include: speech and prize giving day; inter-house sports competition, symposium, and the launch of a book, which would detail “all that is called Dansol from inception to date on January 24.

  • School celebrates culture with Bini play

    ChildVille Schools, Ogudu, Lagos reenacted history during its drama day programme held at the MUSON Centre.

    The school’s drama group acted out the play, Agho Obaseki, written by Don Pedro.

    The stage play, which was directed by Gboyega Jerome, was about Agho Obaseki, the ambitious man of Benin kingdom who had power dumped at his doorstep by the British after the fall of Benin and exile of Oba Ovonramwen N’ogbaisi to Calabar in 1897. The emergence of Obaseki was in total disregard for the seniority placement of the Edo traditional hierarchy.

    Administrator of the school, Mrs. Ajijola Alokolaro, said the play was staged to deepen the children’s appreciation for Nigeria’s history and culture.

    She explained that with many Nigerian children oblivious to the history of their motherland, staging a play rich in Nigerian history and culture was part of the school’s strategy of reversing the ugly trend.

    “History and culture of a people are too important elements to be handled with levity or else such a people will lack a direction. The present generation of Nigerian children knows much about history and culture of the western world but have a very shallow knowledge of the history and cultures of their motherland, which is a misnomer.

    “Beyond equipping our students with acting and stage skills, staging of the play is also directed at ensuring that students of Childville School have a deep sense of Nigeria history and diverse culture,” she said.

    Mrs. Alokolaro urged schools to embark on similar programmes.

    “No nation or a people can preserve its culture without a deliberate action.  Schools must take active part in this direction. ChildVille School is really excited at this privilege of advancing and preserving the nation’s historical and cultural heritage,” she said.