A Catholic priest, Reverend Father John Ashinwo, is the principal of the Sacred Heart Catholic College (SHCC), Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, established in September, 2001. In this interview with MODUPE GEORGE, he speaks about his passion for teaching as well as why SHCC remains one of the best schools in Ogun State. Excerpts:
SOME schools of thought believe that teaching is a calling. What is your take on this?
Yes; it is from the etiological understanding of the word ‘vocare’, a Latin word which means ‘to call’. The teaching profession is more than talking to students in the classroom and marking their books; it is about understanding the depth of the child in front of you as a teacher. For instance, you are in front of the class teaching the students and you see a student dozing off; and you feel like punishing him or her without understanding where he\she is coming from. There could have been problems at home. All of these could have affected the child. If the teacher doesn’t understand this, he\she may reprimand the students, and this would affect the learning process. Whoever is going to be a professional teacher has to know more than the contents of the profession. Teachers have to know that whatever we do in or outside of the classroom has a meaningful impact on the life of the student.
You are a servant of God and also in the teaching profession. What triggered your passion?
My parents are teachers and I was trained as a teacher before leaving for the seminary. I studied Building Technology/Technical Drawing, and that is what I teach presently at the Christ the King Catholic College. After I finished from the seminary, I had my M.Ed in Construction Psychology and School Counselling, a higher study over and above Guidance and Counselling, from the University of Ibadan. I find in the priestly duty that you have to talk and teach every day. Therefore, if I’m not on the pulpit preaching, I am in the class talking and teaching the students, and it has been a wonderful experience altogether. I so much enjoy imparting knowledge.
There are lots of private schools around you. What do you think gives SHCC Ijebu-Ode an edge over others?
Here, we will be looking at three areas: SHCC versus other private schools privately-owned by individuals; SHCC vis-a-vis other faith-based schools owned by various denominations, be it Christians or Muslims, and SHCC compared with other Catholic private institutions. Just last month, we were at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for a national debate competition organised by the National Debate Society. We came first in the debate, and lucky enough, our second speaker became the first best speaker at that competition. All of the gold medals and trophies came back to Ijebu-Ode. We have won a lot of trophies in football, athletics, and quiz competitions. In December last year, we won the first prize in the Future Accountants Manager Entrepreneur (FAME) competition, an experience we have had for four years in a row. Some of our students have qualified for the next round of the Mathematics Olympiad competition in Abeokuta, among others.
At SHCC, there are beautiful structures, which are seen on entering the college. We have the basketball court, football pitch, table tennis lawn and other indoor games facilities. In terms of hostel facilities, the school is proud of housing 450 students with modern facilities, and our classrooms are also among the best. We have good computer facilities, coupled with a controlled internet facility.
How have you been inculcating morals and discipline in the students?
The Catholic Church believes and sees beyond a person being a ‘homo-sapiens,’ who have access to the use of knowledge, can see and make decisions. What we teach is ‘homovir’ that explains the quality of a human being, which goes beyond talking and acting. Therefore, that means that as a human being, if you do what is wrong, how does God see you? How do other human beings see it and what would be the effect on the society? Bringing these together, we are able to make the students know that before they talk and act, they must first see that God who created them is watching. And if one is able to realise that God, the Creator, is omnipresent in all aspects of life, then discipline grows and morality reigns. This college has staff and students who are Muslims and Christians from other denominations, yet, we do things together. We respect one and other’s beliefs and vice-versa to have a neutral community and live peacefully together.
Tell us about the academic performances of your students, especially in general external examinations?
Our students go for JSS 3 examinations, G.C.E, WASSCE and NECO and they always do well. However, one factor that showcases our level of academic performance is the ability of our students to do extraordinary things; their ability not just to say four plus four is equal to eight, but the ability to explain why it is so. Therefore, we don’t only pride ourselves in the results that we have produced, but the ability of the students to defend their results. Our students are trained to study and not just to read.
How has the rate of mass failure in the country in Mathematics and English Language affected the school?
In the past and even currently, we also feel some pain of that failure, but what we do in SHCC is the ability to prepare our students towards overcoming their fears when it comes to English Language and Mathematics. There is one other measure that we have just deployed. It is the remedial class. Students, who could not make 65 per cent mark in their continuous assessment tests from JSS 1 are moved to the remedial class, where teachers take them privately without any charges. With this we’ve been able to overcome failure in these two subjects.