We Need Government Support to Restore Discipline in Our Schools

AFRO NEWS

WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF GOVERNMENT TO INSTILL DISCIPLINE IN OUR SCHOOLS

Deacon Clement Olubode Oke is a Chartered Marketing Practitioner and a distinguished Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing Nigeria. He is an alumnus and former National President of African Church Grammar School Old Students Association. In this interview with AfroNews, he bemoans the dearth of discipline in schools, calling on government to sincerely intervene to rescue the situation. Sir Oke commends the National Executive Council of African Church Grammar School Old Students Association, led by Dr. Babatunde Akinosola and submitted that old boys and girls are fully ready and prepared for the 70th Anniversary Celebration.

Good day sir. Yes, May I meet you, sir.

My name is Deacon Clement Olubode Oke. I am a member of 6973 Club of African Church Grammar School Old Students Association. That is the set that entered the school in 1969 and finished in June 1973. By the grace of God, I had the privilege of being the National President of the Old Students Association from 2007–2012.

Sir, 70th Anniversary Celebration is around the corner, come February, African Church Grammar School Abeokuta will be 70 years. What is your message? What is your view? How elated are you, sir?

Anniversary of the great institution, we are alive to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of African Church Grammar School Abeokuta. I mean, that’s the school that made us. I’m proud of this African Church school and many of us too are eager, proud to be part of the merriment and we are looking forward to student participation as well as the participation of the old students. Our relationship back then in school, that was the excitement in the air; even those in diaspora, everybody is talking about it. So we believe that by the grace of God, all will be well. I congratulate the past national presidents, the current national president, the incumbent Dr. Babatunde Akinosola, and all his executive members of African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta. We just thank God that we have this great opportunity to celebrate 70th year of the school on Earth. We congratulate the current principals, Ms M. A. Adebajo, Mr S. O. Kusimo, past principals of the senior and junior schools. In those days, we had just one principal. We congratulate our current students and all old students of African Church Grammar School. It’s this generation, it’s difficult, but we believe that, by the grace of God, God will intervene in our situation, that the future of these young children will be bright and even brighter. We pray that things will get better for them, to the glory of God.

AFRO NEWS

Sir, by the virtue of being a former national president, and we are hearing that very soon, there is going to be an election of the National Executive Council of the Old Students Association, who and what kind of personality would you want to take over from the Incubator President?

Thank you very much. By the grace of God, God has blessed African Church Grammar School Abeokuta with students, association comprising great men and women of integrity, influence and affluence and by the grace of God, we have put in place succession plan to make the transfer of mantle of the president easier, credible and transparent. The in-coming National President of African Church Grammar School Abeokuta Old Students Association must be a person of proven integrity. He or she must be a person of high intellect. He or she must be committed to the course of the school, students and the old students association. So, he or she must have been participating in the school activities, activities of the old students association, at the state and national level and be punctual and active at meetings. So, this is to ensure that he or she is fully aware of what is at stake in the school and the association. It is not necessarily about money, but commitment and passion for the school and association. So, we know the past leaders have done excellently well and the current president is doing excellently well. So we are believing God that whoever is going to take over from him will be a person of integrity. Mind you! I’m using a person, because the school is mixed school. So it can be a woman, it can be a man, but whoever it will be, he or she must be a person of integrity. I mean, person of high level of commitment to sustain the legacy that the old Students Association has put on ground.

Lastly, sir, would you subsume to the idea of government coming together, having a synergy with all students to engender a sustainable qualitative education in Nigeria?

Yes! Thank you very much. Of course, we cannot rule that out. Well, this school started as a Mission School and as at that time, you know, the school was under the sole administration of the missionaries with no or little support from the government, you know. And at a point in time, the government took over the schools and since then, a lot of things have been happening but thank God for the selfless intervention of the old students. And I remember when one of our students, a distinguished old student, in person of Senator Ibikunle Amosun became the governor of Ogun State, he said it publicly that if not for the old students, many of these schools would have been written off, but thank God for the old students. So there is need for partnership between government and the old students. The old students are ready. We just need the support and sincerity of government to maintain discipline. We are always hearing of some unnecessary interference of government officials in school discipline and we’re having issues. In those days there was nothing like that; the principal was in charge and he or she had the free hand to discipline any erring student. So we want a situation where discipline will be restored and we need the support of government in this area.

Thank you!