Tuesday, June 23, 2015
FACES AT THE INVESTITURE OF SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU AS PILLAR OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA
FACES AT THE INVESTITURE OF SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU AS PILLAR OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA
FACES AT THE INVESTITURE OF SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU AS PILLAR OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA
FACES AT THE INVESTITURE OF SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU AS PILLAR
OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA
FACES AT THE INVESTITURE OF SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU AS PILLAR OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA
FACES AT THE INVESTITURE OF SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU AS PILLAR OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA
FACES AT THE AFRICAN EDUCATION MONITOR'S LECTURES AND AWARDS ACROSS NIGERIA (LAGOS STATE)
FACES AT THE AFRICAN EDUCATION'MONITOR'S LECTURES AND AWARDS ACROSS NIGERIA (LAGOS STATE)
FACES AT AFRICAN EDUCATION MONITOR'S LECTURES AND AWARDS ACROSS NIGERIA (LAGOS STATE
FACES AT AFRICAN EDUCATION MONITOR'S LECTURES AND AWARDS ACROSS NIGERIA (LAGOS STATE)
FACES AT THE AFRICAN EDUCATION MONITOR'S LECTURES AND AWARDS ACROSS NIGERIA (LAGOS STATE)
THERE IS UNITY AMONG PRINCIPALS IN KWARA STATE
ANCOPSS president, Kwara State
Let’s meet you
My
name is Dr (Mrs.) Omowunmi Ajibola Oloyede the current president of ANCOPSS, Kwara
State.
It is not always common to see Ph.D
holders as administrators in secondary schools. Where is your area of
specialization?
I
major in education. And I bagged my Ph.D on this job precisely in 2009. I am
highly interested in this job as i’ve always liked to manage children at this
level (secondary school level). This is where I started my career and it has
become part and parcel of me. If I am crossing to any other level because of
money now, I may not perform well there. I understand this level of students
than any other level I know I may not be able to do well at the primary level
and unlikely to do well too at the tertiary. Remember, I’ve been a principal
since 1993. So if I am not rushing after money, I should remain at the level
that I understand so well.
ANCOPSS is a formidable body as far as
education management is concerned in Nigeria. How has the experience been as
the ANCOPSS president in Kwara State over the years?
I
want to bless the name of the Lord. I’ve enjoyed being the leader because I’ve
enjoyed the total support of members. As a matter of fact, ninety percent of
ANCOPSS members are men. For them to have supported me being a woman with total
co-operation has really made the job easy for me.
However
as it is, I have to share responsibilities out to my exco members and that has
helped me a lot. The experience has been interesting and I enjoy it. Each time
we go out, people appreciate my efforts. Recently, we hosted seven other states
and at the national level during the ANCOPSS last meeting, the North Central
was declared the best out of all the zones.
What have you achieved so far in office?
I
want to bless the name of the Lord that the state government has been so
supportive and that has made the job very easy for me. My Commissioner, Alhaji Saka
Onimago whose tenure ended two weeks ago had also been so supportive. However, some
of my achievements include; the successful hosting of ANCOPSS from other states
of the federation, the managing of schools, ability to co-ordinate others,
solving problems in schools and of course during my tenure, both the junior and
secondary school principals became more united than in the past. Today also,
we’ve been holding our zonal meetings regularly as against the practice in the
past where meetings were not regularly held. And we have achieved co-operation
of others in the zone.
Furthermore,
I’ve been able to work along with the state government on education, I’ve been
able to co-ordinate my group very well and encourage them to attend seminars.
We’ve arranged for a seminar too on youth and education. We have equally been
able to discuss among ourselves issues and policies on education and how we can
do better as a state. We appreciate the state government. They’ve given us a
free hand to operate and that has been helping us a lot.
The Governor of Kwara State has been
elected for a second term in office. What do you expect from his government
during this second tenure as far as the aspiration of ANCOPSS is concerned?
Toward
the tail end of his first tenure, he promised us a bus and he said we would
take delivery of the bus during his second tenure. We are expecting the bus
from him. Apart from this, we are expecting him to build more classrooms, renovate
schools to standard, pay our salaries regularly and continue to make us happy.
He is doing well, but we will appreciate him if he can do more.
It is a fact that government alone
cannot fund education adequately. What is ANCOPSS doing in Kwara State in the
area of mobilizing successful ex-students of various secondary schools for the
purpose of contributing towards the development of their alma mata?
Yes.
In recent time, the old students of our school met. They invited me and
presented a bus to us. And so it is in many places in the state. Perhaps you
are selling a new idea to me on how to co-ordinate them to meet as a group i.e
the executives of each of the alumni from each school to meet ANCOPSS at a
better level where we can advise them on how they could help us. It is a good
idea and we are going to buy it.
Looking at the state of education
generally in Nigeria, one is confronted with various challenges like
dilapidated buildings, ill equipped laboratories, inadequate teachers for core
subjects and newly introduced trade subjects e.t.c. how is ANCOPSS advising
policy makers in correcting these anomalies in schools?
As
much as the school population is increasing, schools will be needing more
teachers. We want the government to recruit more teachers particularly on core
subjects like English and Mathematics and the new trade subjects that have just
been introduced into the policy of education.
In
recent time in the state, more teachers were recruited. But we would appreciate
the governor during this second tenure if he can recruit more teachers to take
care of our core subjects and the newly introduced trade subjects.
How do principals in Kwara State cope
with egocentric teachers who perhaps for the fact that their husbands hold very
high political office tend to hold their superiors or principals in contempt in
schools?
Our
state government will not allow that to happen here. You cannot say for the
fact that your husband is a commissioner, you want to corrupt our school system
in Kwara. You will be dealt with. Except your principal is not making any
report. And the fact that government does not tolerate any bad behaviour or
mannerism among the teachers within the school system makes it easy for us. But
when such cases come up and the moment ANCOPSS is aware, we call them to order
and they quickly fall in line. You know Kwara State is a state of harmony. We
have been working together in a very peaceful manner. We’ve not gotten a
terribly bad case amongst them. Ninety nine percent of the teachers are aware
of the fact that the ANCOPSS leadership today is the disciplinarian type and I
think that has made them to be more careful. The government itself does not
condone indiscipline. So there is no hideout for a lazy teacher, there is no
hideout for a teacher who because she is a wife or brother to a commissioner or
any other high ranking political office holder, wants to rule over the
principal.
Issue of cultism which is rampart in
some institutions of higher learning in Nigeria is said to also be rearing its
ugly head among secondary school students. How has ANCOPSS been able to
checkmate this in Kwara State?
Back
in Kwara, I think we have been able to curb cultism. It has become a thing of
the past anywhere. Even at higher institutions level, it has become a thing of
the past. Go to Unilorin, go to Kwara State University and others, you won’t
hear issues of cultism in any of our institutions because we teach morals.
All these years as a teacher and
administrator, what would you say is your joy in moulding the young and future
leaders of this country?
My
joy has been, seeing my students becoming doctors, lawyers, engineers and other
professionals. And I am meeting them everywhere. I was in an hospital recently
to see a relative and the moment I entered the ward, two or three doctors
started calling mummy, mummy, why are you here. They said they were my students
in their secondary school days. Such encounter gladdens the heart of any
teacher any day.
Any personal regret in your line of duty
all these years?
There
are times you will feel sad over some issues. For instance if a student is
sick, unable to come to school and you eventually heard from the parents or
relatives that such a student has passed on, you become terribly sad. Again, it
saddens me when I see any of my students not doing well academically.
What advice do you have for parents,
teachers and government in Kwara State inorder to move the wheels of education
forward?
Parents
should be very supportive. When children are disciplined in school and the
attention of the parents is required, they should co-operate with the school.
Parents should also ensure that they give correct training to their children at
home. The two religions that are recognized in this country emphasize moral.
Moral calls for respect to the constituted authorities, respect to your
partners e.t.c. and moreso, the Policy on Education emphasizes good moral. So
parents should join hands with schools in developing their children in the area
of good moral. Teachers also should also realize that teaching is a call, that
God has called us into this profession and we must do our best. We should know
we are responsible unto God, unto man, unto the government and unto the
students under our care. And for the principals, though we are leaders, but we
must see ourselves as servants in all aspects. We must be ready to serve, we
must aspire for our students to be the best. We must not be involved in
encouraging examination malpractice which will definitely affect the future of
the students. Principals of schools must not allow examination malpractice in
their schools. And the government should please make all the needs of the
schools available. We appreciate our state government for paying our salaries
and for developing our schools, but there is still room for them to do better.
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