60th Anniversary Of Oke-Iragbiji Grammar School: Oyetola Commends Old Students’ Efforts At Developing School

Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola has commended the efforts of the Old Students of Oke-Iragbiji Grammar School in seeing to the development of their alma mater through sponsorship of various projects.

Oyetola, while speaking in Iragbiji at the weekend during the 60th Anniversary of Oke-Iragbiji Grammar School, urged the alumni body of the secondary school to continue using their influence in their respective places of work to develop the school. 

The Governor congratulated the management of the school, the old students and current students of the school on the occasion of the anniversary and asked them not to relent.

“Let me also appreciate the organisers of this event for the Fundraising Luncheon component of this Anniversary. Fundraising is about infrastructure and overall development of the school. In these days of obvious economic downturn, it has become clearer than ever that government alone cannot deliver the education that we desire and that all the stakeholders, especially old students, well-meaning sons and daughters of our towns, philanthropists, corporate organisations must pull resources to build our schools and our children’s capacity.” 

“I am happy that Oke-Iragbiji Grammar School is responding to this call. I salute the school for this initiative and I urge them to continue to sponsor projects for the development of the school. The old students should not only contribute their resources but should use their influence in their respective places of work to develop the school. I urge the school authority to continue to cultivate the old students and to catch the current students young by instilling in them the need to give back to the school that produced them,” the Governor said.

Meanwhile, the Governor bemoaned the poor standard of education in the country.

He said the eroding standard of education in the country is the root cause of the unemployment across Nigeria.

Notwithstanding, the Governor has expressed the commitment of his administration to revitalization of secondary education in the state.

Earlier, the guest lecturer, Prof Olutayo Adesina of the University of Ibadan, in his lecture titled “The State of Secondary Education in Nigeria: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, called on the government, parents and old students association to rise to the aid of the secondary education in Nigeria.

He said the standard of education yesterday is far better than today, adding that if necessary attention is not given to the sector, tomorrow’s standard may be worse than what happens today.

In his address, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Old Students Association, Engr Olatoke Olaniyan enumerated the challenges facing the school which according to him ranges from inadequate staff strength to poor or lack of important facilities.

” The situation here is critical, our Alma Mater is in dire need of intervention by everyone of us. We are also convinced that urgent attention should be paid to the type of education we are imparting on the students such that they would be able to compete with their peers across the globe. It is not enough to dwell on the cognitive domain alone without paying attention to the affective as well as the psychomotor domains. The emphasis on the development of the intelligence quotient alone without correspondingly working on the social and emotional quotient might leave the students bare and barren in these equally important areas.

“We therefore implore all stakeholders in education to review the school curricula to suit the needs of this modern time with a view to producing products that would be assets not liabilities to themselves and society at large.”

Also, the Chairman of 60th Anniversary planning committee, Prof Siyan Oyeweso called on all the alumni of the school to look back and contribute immensely to the development of the Alma mater. 

He said the school has produced different people who have in one way or the other contributed and are still contributing to the development of Osun and Nigeria at large. 

Also in attendance was the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdurrosheed Olabomi Odundun IV, who is also an alumnus of the school.

Awards were presented to deserving members of the association, teachers and other staff of the school who had in the past served the school meritoriously. While posthumous awards were given to the dead ones.