Jet Stanley Madu
The 1988 set of Government College Lagos Old Boys Association (GCLOBA), recently donated 100 pieces of furniture as well as 2,000 exercise books to the school. The worth of the items was put at N4.2 million.
The alumni group also gave N30,000 to each of the three best students in science, arts and commercial subjects.
The students included the head boy, Justine Akukwe, who emerged the best student in science; Hakeem Thompson, best student in arts; and Ismail Salaudeen, best in commercial subjects.
The cheques were presented by the chairman of the organising committee, Mr. Ajibola Animashaun.
Speaking on the occasion, coordinator of GCLOBA, ’88 set, Mr. Mayokun Oresanya, said the gesture came as a result of the association’s desire to support the school and give back to the alma mater, 30 years after they left the school.
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He said the gesture was also to boost learning facilities in the school and encourage excellence.
His words: “We look at things that are lacking in the school. There is no furniture for the students, so we decided to give the school 100 sets of furniture and 2,000 copies of exercise books.”
Beneficiaries of the furniture were students in SS3. The coordinator explained what informed the choice of the senior class: “We gave the furniture to the students that are about to write their WAEC because we discovered they did not have enough furniture. And we want them to write their examinations in a very comfortable and relaxed manner.”
He informed the audience that the association was making plans to offer scholarship to a student of the college plagued by dyslexia. He said the ailment was a learning disorder that involves difficulty in reading due to problems with identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding):
“It is also called reading disability, which affects areas of the brain that process language.”
Receiving the donations, principal of the college, Mrs. Teru Omolade, commended the old boys for their kind gesture and support towards improving the standard of the school.
She said it was commendable that the old boys would look back at their good old days in the school and decide to lend a helping hand.
She said: “I am really excited at this kind gesture. I am extremely happy that you looked back to the school after 30 years and thought it fit to come and plough back to your alma mater and to support the students by rewarding excellence.
“Some years back, when our students wanted to write their WAEC exams, there were no chairs, and some sets like yours provided them for us.
“Even when inspectors come to our school from Alausa, they always ask us what magic we do. But it is not magic.
It is the outcome of good and healthy communication and rapport between us and our old boys’ association.”
The principal stated that, owing to the support the college gets from the association, government was able to admit 400 boys into the school this session.
“When we were short of teachers, it was the old boys’ association of some sets that came up and provided teachers for us,” she added.
Teru said the school performed excellently in the 2017 WASCE, scoring 81 per cent.
“The school has also been adjudged the best disciplined school,” she added.
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