A Non-Governmental Organisation, Rasaq Aliyu-Apaguntan Foundation (RAAF) has donated notebooks and other learning material to over 2, 500 pupils across six primary schools in Share town, in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara state.
The Olupako of Share land, HRH, Oba Alhaji Abubakar Garba, also called on all and sundry particularly the son and daughters of Share to return home to contribute to the development of the town.
The gesture of the NGO was part of a measure to reduce the burden on parents in the area, “and to build the future of our children”.
Some of the beneficiaries were drawn from Muslim Primary School, Christ Apostolic Church Primary School, Shayo Primary School, Community Primary School and Unite Missionary Church of Africa (UMCA) Primary School, Share.
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The Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Engineer Rasaq Aliyu Opeyemi, while presenting the materials to the pupils, explained that the motive behind the donation was to improve teaching and learning among the people of the community.
According to him, “many students were out of schools today just because their parents could not afford the basic education needs while the government didn’t encourage school attendance”.
Engineer Rasaq said his contributions to the educational lives of the pupils was to give the less privileged ones hope and to prepare them for future challenges.
“I sponsored myself to achieve what I could in education after I lost my two parents at a tender age. I engaged in petty trade and sponsored myself in school because I realised that without the education I may not achieve in life”.
The donor attributed major challenge facing the country education system to lack of seriousness on the part of teachers in public schools, saying that, “most parents today prefer that their children attend private schools because they have lost hope in government-owned schools”.
Opeyemi, while appreciating the Share traditional ruler and people of Share for various supports given to him, advised the government against privatising education in Nigeria.
He mentioned that privatising education would affect the enrolment of children from a poor background in schools.
He, however, appealed to the government to rededicate efforts in order to improve the quality of education system in the state.
The CEO also charged the government to provide enabling environment for Public-Private Partnership in education and to also address the issue of unemployment in order to make youth to be self-reliant.
He informed that his NGO would later create opportunities for private schools to benefit from some of the projects of the foundation.
The traditional ruler, Alhaji Garuba called on the people of the town to emulate the gesture done on the schools’ pupils by the NGO.
Oba Olupako stated that the contribution of RAAF would further increase the enrolment of children in schools in the community.
Responding, Alhaja Afusat Adeleye of CAC Primary School, expressed appreciation to RAAF for contributing meaningfully to the educational standard of Share and the people.
Adeleye, who described the gesture as timely, charged other well-meaning people from Share to emulate RAAF in order to make lives better through quality education.
While thanking the donor for his gesture, promised that the material would be used judiciously by the beneficiaries, called on other well-meaning Nigerians and relevant stakeholders to invest in the education of Nigeria children.
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