From Ben Dunno, Warri
The National President of the Old Students Association of Our Lady’s High School, Effurun, Delta State, Chief Judith Enamuotor, has decried the dwindling education standards in Nigeria and called for urgent measures by government and stakeholders in the education sector to address the problem.
Making the observation on behalf of the school’s female alumni from the 1960 set onwards, while addressing the media in Warri on activities lined up to mark its 2nd Reunion Anniversary, Enamuotor acknowledged the tremendous impact mission schools have made in regards to sustaining education standards in Nigeria.
She applauded the policy of the Delta State Government on returning mission schools back to their owners, describing it as a step in the right direction as these mission schools have consistently risen to the occasion in ensuring that their standards are not only maintained but improved upon.
‘Generally, the standard of education has fallen in Nigeria. The quality has fallen drastically against what was obtained in the 60s and 70s. And this is very unfortunate. We should do everything possible so as not to bequeath such to our future children,’ she stated.
‘Since the return of schools to the mission owners, the school system has been picking up again and the standard is rising. The mission is doing everything it can to ensure that the standard of education is high.
‘As Old Girls, we are interested in the high standard of the school and we are going to work with the administrators of the school to sustain the high standards that are already in place in our alma mater.
‘We are therefore using this medium to call on both the state and federal government as well as other stakeholders in the educational sector to come together and design a blueprint for genuine and sustainable educational reforms in the country so that we can leave a legacy of quality standards for the next generation towards a better nation,’ Enamuotor noted.
Activities lined up for the reunion include a thanksgiving service, public lecture on how to rejuvenate high-quality education in Nigeria, memorial service for fallen old students as well as the commemorative reunion dinner and awards for deserving people and corporate bodies that had contributed positively to education development in the country.