From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
Private school owners in Ebonyi State on October 12, 2023, rolled out the drums and celebrated their contributions to the development of the society.
About 25 of them under the auspices of National Association of the Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Ebonyi LGA chapter alongside their teachers at the event were urged to always see the profession as contribution to humanity.
Chairman of the chapter, Paschal Ofoke gave the charge during the 2023 NAPPS Day Celebrations at St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church Premises, Kpirikpiri Abakaliki.
He described their individual schools as laboratories with the potential to deform, reform and transform human behaviours stating that the shape of every society depends on the quality of the students bred in its schools: “If we breed the best students, we shall get the best society, running a school is not a business of self interest, it is a business of human and societal development.
“This is simply because we aim at imparting into lives and build human minds that will develop and sustain the society.
“Whatever you are given as salary is just an advance payment, as teachers, your reward is in heaven and remember that nations are in your hands, thus teach not for the salary but for the love and passion of the work so that other things shall be added unto you.”
Ofoke who is the proprietor of Zion Vocational College, Mgbabor, enumerated the core values of NAPPS essential for the society development to include professionalism, equity, religious tolerance, discipline, integrity and patriotism.
He assured that they would support the state governor, Francis Nwifuru, expressing the union’s readiness to remit into the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.
Patrick Orogbo who chaired the event was delighted and applauded the members for impacting on the nation. He charged the teachers to put in more effort in developing the nation.
The group’s secretary and Proprietress of Holy Child International Academy, Mile 50, Abakaliki, Mrs Grace Okoha said that the event was also aimed at showcasing the children’s talents: “We are catching them young before presenting them to the wider society and the international community, it is at the grassroots level that we shall select the talented ones and sell them out and our effort is impacting positively.
“And for the fact that we do not cut corners, we always give the children the best and we also groom them so that they can stand a challenge in this contemporary society.”