Queen’s College Principal Counts Gains of ‘Freelance Day’

Uchechukwu Nnaike 

The Principal, Queen’s College, Lagos, Dr Oyindamola Obabori, has stated that the introduction of the ‘Freelance Day’ has gone a long way in checking restiveness among the students.

Obabori, in an interview, said that the Freelance Day is all about development of skills among students of the 99-year-old college.

According to her, upon her arrival at the college, she noticed that the students were very restive, they argued and were always restless. “Then I saw the need to find a way to contain this. I started looking at ways of getting them meaningfully engaged during their free periods.

“As you know, education is important, but there is weeds need to back it up with life skills to make it complete. So we thought of getting them introduced to as many skills as possible, aside their routine academic activities.

“Initially, the Freelance Day was called the ‘Skills Acquisition Day’. This particular day is being observed in the college every Wednesday from 8:00 am. to 11:00 am, which is break time. They normally come out in their sports wear.

“During the stipulated period, they are usually allowed to participate in any skill of their choice and any student who still wants to stay away and read is often allowed to do so.

“We do not force them against their wish. After the break, they all return to their respective classes,” she said, adding that the period is lecture-free. 

The principal noted that chief among the skills the students are exposed to are music and sports, including  repairs of handsets, tie and dye, hat, perfume, beads making and making sequins on dresses.

Others she said are decorative items, cosmetology, crocheting, knitting, among others.

She stated that most of these are handled by some staff of the college, that are interested in helping out.

“We also engaged two coaches that come in for field activities. One takes the volleyball and the other, basketball.This way we expose the students to the games where they can also go and dissipate their energy.

“We also came up with things like photography, video editing, and to girls who normally don’t have the opportunity to go into robotics and coding, we have space for them.

“There is also great opportunity to avail the girls with basic skills on how to bake with our bakery optimally functional.

“There is also the normal clubs and societies and instead of having it as we normally do on Fridays after school, we just incorporated everything on that Wednesday,” the principal said.

She expressed delight that the students have embraced the entire initiative, as they now come up with ideas of other skills they feel could be explored, “and so far, they feel excited that their voices are heard and most of their needs met,” she stated.

Obabori, the 26th principal of the college, added that the initiative has reduced to the barest minimum, all forms of restiveness and bullying among the students.

She added that the involvement of the students in most of the sports or games, has proven to be one sure way of nurturing and developing future champions that could represent the nation.

The principal stressed that skills development in schools prepares students for real life by focusing on critical thinking, communication and digital literacy.

According to her, the initiative shifts learning from just memorising facts to building practical abilities and bonding with one another.

“I want to believe that the federal government is happy with what we have done. I know that it is in support of this because several schools are replicating it in their various institutions.

“Here in our school, the girls in senior and junior categories normally take turns in participating in the wide range of these activities.

“The junior and senior girls take their turns every other Wednesdays of every week, just to ensure that they are all well fitted into any sports or activities of their choices.

“Whenever any of the category of these girls are engaged, the others would all be in class,” she explained.