The 1996 graduates of the Federal Government College, Ogbomosho, Oyo State have called on the Federal Government to revamp the unity schools located in the different states of the federation.
The old students made the call at the 26th anniversary/reunion celebration, which was held simultaneously in Ikeja, Lagos; Houston, US; and the UK.
The reunion, which is the first in the 26 years post-graduation was themed ‘Unity in Diversity.
Speaking from the UK, Lawunmi Ogedengbe, president of the 1996 Alumni explained that unity, inclusiveness, and diversity are the bedrock of the creation of unity schools in 1966 by the Federal Government of Nigeria. She further said that these unity schools were a melting pot for students with diverse backgrounds, and coming together to learn in such a manner was one of the secrets of Nigeria’s sustained unity.
Ogedengbe took the opportunity to remind the Federal Government of the need to protect schools if the nation wishes to secure its future as the worsening security situation across the country is a cause of concern.
“Unity schools were unique. Students that passed through these schools till the end of the last millennium were privileged. Though there are 104 such schools, there is a striking similarity in the attitude, behaviour and mindset of the students. We are privileged to have attended one of the oldest unity schools, Federal Government College, Ogbomoso, founded in 1977.”
Gbolahan Ayoola, a FEGO alumni and a visual artist, who has exhibited within and beyond Nigeria also weighed. According to him, the state of the unity schools in Nigeria is a shame.
“It’s a shame that parents can hardly send their kids to unity schools. The grace that we enjoyed is fading. Back then, attending a unity school helps you meet and interact with people from different parts of the country.
“Unity schools were like a level playing ground where the children of the rich, the influential, and the regular middle-class meet and bond. Everyone pays the same school fees and there’s no preferential treatment. When the standards began to drop across the board, that was when the spring of private schools came in.
On the solution to the problem, he stated that the government must first tackle the issue of security. “You know most of these unity schools are in the remote part of whatever state they are in. Hardly can you find a unity school in a state capital, so security is a big deal.”
Shakirat Raji, another old student and a teacher in a government-owned institution decried the standard of education available now. “What we had in the past cannot be compared with what we have now. Nowadays, only teachers are blamed for children’s failure. Although, in terms of the plethora of ways of learning, children can now learn on their own, anywhere and at any time. But when we talk of the quality of knowledge being passed to the next generation, I think we are still far better than what we have now. These imbalances can be attributed to four categories of people. The government, the school including the teachers and the management of the school, the students themselves and their parents, and the society. But the onus is on the educators to make things better, the government is already doing a lot. They provide the school, and there is free education. For unity schools, the government needs to create more schools, population is a major problem in the unity schools.”
For Rasheed Jaiyeola, entrepreneur and CEO Bukka Hut, “Many things must change for the dream that the founders had to be sustained. If this trajectory continues, some of the unity schools might have to shut down. This is one of the major reasons why everyone must take the voting process next year very seriously. If we have the right leadership, I’m sure the idea behind the establishment of the unity schools initially would be able to be continued. We must get the leadership right so that the education sector can also be transformed.
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