Obasanjo, Babalakin Lament Govts’ Failure to Deliver Quality Education

• Old students spend N2bn on Government College Ibadan
James Sowole in Abeokuta and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chairman, Bi-Courtney Group, Dr. Wale Babalakin yesterday lamented governments’ failure to deliver quality education in the country.

They also noted that governments could no longer fund education, thereby calling well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations and old students’ associations, among others, to provide much-needed interventions to salvage education in the country.

They expressed this concern at the 92nd annual public lecture of the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association (GCIOBA) held at the Conference Hall, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State

The lecture delivered by the Minister of Health, Dr Emmanuel Ehanire, who was represented by an old student of the college, Mr Segun Oguntoyinbo, was entitled “ Covid 19 and its Devastating Effects on World Affairs.”
At the annual lecture of GCIOBA, Obasanjo said the old students of the college “have done and are still doing what other alumni of schools and colleges should emulate.

“We have no substitute for quality education. It does not matter what the government does, the government alone cannot provide with what is required to fund education. So all hands are on deck to fund education,” the former president said.

Where possible, the former president suggested that the state governments should hand over management of some schools to old students.
Obasanjo said: “If the government hands over some schools to old students for management, it will relieve the government of the burden. Government will only provide guidelines to those managing the schools and which they will follow

“In Abeokuta alone, there are some secondary schools that have alumni that can even establish their own school. So, managing those schools should not be a problem.”

Babalakin, also President of GCIOBA, disclosed that the Old Students of Government College, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State, had spent no less than N2 billion on infrastructure projects in the college between 2017 and 2021.
Babalakin, who mentioned some of the projects executed with the money, said six projects would be inaugurated by Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, as part of the activities to celebrate the 2021 reunion.

He explained the decision of the association to invest in the school was informed by the reality, which according to him, was due to lack of government’s capacity to fund education adequately.

Babalakin said the government alone “cannot fund education. For Nigerians to have good quality education, alumni associations of schools come to the rescue of the government and invest in the development of their alma maters.”

He listed some of the projects to include: street lighting system, a museum of government college artifacts, two modern blocks of classrooms and road, among others.
Babalakin said: “We are celebrating a glorious past and the determination to create a greater future. We are virtually rebuilding the school.

“Between 2017 and now, the old boys of government college has invested over N2 billion in their alma maters. All class sets contributed and still contributing and willing to contribute.

“You either have good education or you don’t. Any education that is not good is not worthwhile, then if education is going to be free, it must be good. If it is not good, it is not worth having at all. This is the thing that has motivated government college to partner the Oyo state government to rebuild our school.

“If you are discerning enough to calculate the revenue of the state, and share it among 650 secondary schools in Oyo state, you will realise that unless there is money from another source, you cannot develop education.
“Government can hardly fund education today. We are keen on providing an example on how education should be in Nigeria,” the senior advocate said.

Babalakin, therefore, admonished old students of schools in Ogun State to support the state government in the task of providing quality education for the children.

At the inauguration of the six projections in Ibadan, Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde said the state government would support the Government College, Ibadan and other schools in the state to achieve their fullest educational potential.

He explained the way policies and policy implementation of his administration in the education sector had improved educational standards in the state, noting that the state would become the first in the education sector in a matter of time.

He said: “Once the state is able to surmount the two major challenges facing the education sector, including the quality of the teaching staff and the need for parents to take major responsibility in training their children, then the state would take its pride of place as the best in education across the country.

“The main issue I can see here today is that this is almost like a massive construction site. You see one project or the other going on everywhere here, being championed by the Old Students Association of the Government College, Ibadan.

“I think most of us have one or two things to learn and, from the result that you can see, as a government, we will support them to the fullest extent possible. I want to assure them that they will get whatever they need from the government.”

Supporting other speakers at the annual lecture, Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun admonished individuals, corporate bodies and old students associations of schools in the state to partner with his administration in its efforts towards repositioning the education sector.

He, also, called on well-to-do individuals and organisations as well as Old Students associations to adopt a school through his administration’s Adopt-a-School Programme.

“Let me call on all well-meaning individuals and businesses, old students of various schools from Ogun state and of course from outside the state to come and join us in this journey of rebuilding our education sector, government can definitely not do it alone.

“We have a programme we call adopt-a-school, the pictures of the schools are now loaded to a website where you can look at these schools. You adopt anyone and then you can begin to monitor the progress, you will find us worthy partners.”