Bianca Iboma
The Rotary Club of Omole-Ojodu in Lagos has expressed its determination to keep boosting primary education in the country.
The club recently completed the renovation of a block of three classrooms at the Ogba Primary School, Ogba, Lagos, just as it donated chairs and tables to pupils of the school to help promote their learning capacity.
The president of the club, Mr. Ope Obafemi, said when the Rotary Club visited the school, they discovered that the pupils needed a more conducive place for learning. The club then decided to replace the dilapidated furniture in place during one of its visits to the school.
The donation was made on Wednesday, December 19, at a ceremony where the club handed over the facilities to authorities of the school and the Lagos State government.
Obafemi said the project was one of many that the club has executed in line with its vision to render humanitarian service and empower youths.
“Basic education is the education given to pupils within the ages of six and the teenage years. It is the education given right from the grassroots, as soon as the child can count. It is necessary to educate children nowadays. To this effect, the government has a big role to play to enhance the quality of education in our schools. Our club’s
aspiration is to play a more active role in the development of education in the country,” Obafemi said.
The Rotary president said members of the club did not want a situation where little kids of between two and three years, for instance, would be learning in an uncomfortable environment, hence the decision to replace the furniture in the nursery classes.
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Obafemi stressed that government should provide competent teachers that would facilitate learning in a more effective manner.
Obafemi spoke further: “Adequate teachers should be employed. The pupil-teacher ratio should be about 30 to one.
In addition, government should provide infrastructure and amenities that can facilitate learning.
“Good roads to schools, teaching and learning materials, including registers, diaries, notebooks, desks, chairs and maps should be made available to schools. There should be good access to potable water and functional electricity, laboratory equipment such as test tubes, cylinder, microscopes and other essential materials.
“As we are in the technology age, pupils need enlightenment, which can improve their performance. Provision
of capital for the day-to-day running of the education system should be given priority by government because the head teacher might need petty cash to purchase stationery, pay for transportation, medical and other necessities to run the school.”
He advised teachers to also improve their personal capacity, noting that the only constant thing in life is change.
“Government should encourage in-service training for teachers. Workshops, seminars and other training should be encouraged. The bulk of the responsibility lies with government. Government should ensure the improvement of the standard of education at this level in order for it to, at least, measure up to modern standards in other climes.
“Government should also endeavour to pay adequate salaries when due. It should upgrade the standard of its teachers by approving study leave with pay. Teachers should also be given other incentives for them to improve on the quality of the services they render,” he said.
Obafemi called on corporate organisations to support the development of education in the country, saying that government lacked the capacity to tackle the many challenges in the education sector alone.
The projects were subsequently inaugurated by the district governor, Mr. Kola Sodipe.
The headmistress of the school, Mrs. Adesola Oni, commended the club for contributing to the enhancement of learning in Lagos State through its numerous corporate social responsibility projects in the education sector.
She appealed to the state government to provide an enabling environment for teachers and pupils, especially good classrooms and a quiet and serene environment.
Oni pledged that the management of the school would ensure that the learning facilities were put to proper use in order to realise the objectives for which they were donated.