•Colour, fun, as Abuja school marks Cultural Day

By Rebecca Opaluwa

It was a show of cultural heritage. The young pupils displayed their talents and identities on July 5 when Pace Setters Academy, Wuse in Abuja, celebrated its International Cultural Day.

Seven countries’ cultures and traditions were showcased at the event hosted by the founder of the school, Ken Imansuangbon, his wife, Kate, and members of staff. The event, which is observed yearly, identifies with South Korea, China, Japan, Liberia, Ethiopian and Nigeria, among other countries.

It was indeed a cultural fiesta, as the Nigerian participants were drawn from different ethnic backgrounds; the Hausa, Ibo, Ijaw, Yoruba, Edo and a few others. The students, surrounded by their parents, were all gaily dressed in different native attire, depicting their cultural identities. They all proudly danced to different local songs played on the occasion.

The founder, who is a lawyer, revealed that the school was built to nurture the total child; academically, morally, culturally and educationally. He boasted that it had continued to blaze the trail among other schools in Abuja.

But even at that, Imansuangbon continually bemoans the fate that has befallen the Nigerian education sector, lamenting that the country has been producing half-baked graduates over the years. He traced the problem to the government’s refusal to give priority to the sector.

His words: “Our products from Nigerian universities these days are half-baked. But you can’t give what you don’t have. Why are they half-baked? We need to go back to the root and take care of our university system.”

He strongly believes that the teachers should be well remunerated to boost their morals. He also pointed out the need for school laboratories – at all levels – to be well-equipped.

On grading the students, he laid emphasis on merit, not on who knows who among the lecturers or in the school authorities. He said this was important in order to allow the students within the academic walls to study hard and compete fairly.

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On the way forward, the educationist tasked the governments to inject more funds into education. He expressed optimism that when Nigerians are well educated, more people would know the right thing to do and there would be a rapid development across other sectors.

“Education and health must have the largest share in government’s budget. I don’t believe that the military should have the highest; we should educate our children rather than using the money to buy bombs. Education must be a priority for any nation that needs quick development.

“Also, there seems to be more emphasis on certification rather than entrepreneurial skills. The two are needed; you can’t suppress one for the other. The academic ability should be able to inspire the creative ability. Creativity is what people need to be able to put food on their table. For instance, if you are a doctor, you must understand Algebra and Calculus and the rest in Mathematics, but it is not enough. The real creativity is in trying to dissect what the issues are medically. Therefore, the two work hand in hand and must be embraced,” he argued.

Imansuagbon said Pace Setters was working round the clock, using modern facilities, to promote religious tolerance, build self-esteem and confidence in the students in all its six schools located in Gwarimpa, Wuse, Wuye and Gusape extension of Abuja.

Although the Imasuangbons had encountered some challenges, he said he was able to surmount them through determination and commitment to contribute his own quota to the educational sector. He informed that the purpose of establishing the school was to give the generation after him affordable education, saying that the resolve had  helped him forge ahead despite different challenges he had been facing in running the schools.

“In the past, we had challenges of trying to acquire land and banks not giving us loans. I was determined because education is not actually a profit-making venture, but for societal benefit. We need education as the foundation and pillar of development. Even America, Russia, China and Japan still emphasise education. Our determination to surmount our challenges has been our top focus. We are determined, and our teachers and parents are the best.”

Imansuagbon said he was doing his best through scholarships, to bridge the disparity between education for the rich and the poor, and lamented that the gap was too wide in Nigeria.

He said though Pace Setters charged fees, between 45 and 50 per cent of the pupils are on scholarship. The proprietor said children of Naval, Air Force, Army and Police officers were entitled to between 20 and 50 per cent discount to encourage the service men for a job well done for the country.

Said he: “If you lose either of father or mother when you are in Pace Setters, you are entitled to scholarship. If you are coming into the school and you are exceptionally brilliant, the admission committee will look at it and you will get a tuition-free scholarship. At Pace Setters, money is not our primary motive; most times we make losses rather than profit. But at the end of the day, both the poor and the rich have some sorts of succour because they treated equally.”