The governor of Osun state, Ademola Adeleke, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and other dignitaries are expected to attend the inauguration of an intra-school road project worth N35m and other developmental projects by 1979/1984 old students of St. John Grammar School in Oke-Atan, Ile-Ife.
This formed part of the 40th anniversary celebrations for the set.
In addition, 50 outstanding students, including indigent ones, will be awarded scholarships.
Barr. Abiodun Olabampe, chairman of the 40th anniversary, revealed in an interview with journalists that the newly constructed 400-meter concrete road worth N35 million would be commissioned during the three-day event scheduled for June 27th and 29th, 2024.
The event, according to him, will feature medical outreach for students, parents and teachers, a scholarship award for 50 deserving students to cater for their finances, a career talk, a football match between teachers and old students, and an award night among others.
Olabampe stated that the set has contributed immensely to the development of a Catholic missionary school established in 1962 with the renovation of the school library a few years ago.
He urged old students of schools across the federation to contribute to their Alma mater to uphold a standard of education in schools, saying most schools now rely solidly on their ex-students for survival.
Speaking on the recent poor performance of students in the last JAMB result, Olabampe lamented that the standard of education generally has fallen in all aspects, saying it can be restored with the help of old student.
He said how government-run education particularly in public schools was not good enough because education in public schools in Nigeria is nothing to write home about.
He said, “When you look at schools then and now, you will see that schools that are performing are mostly missionary schools or parent teachers’ schools, unlike public schools.
“If you look at recent JAMB results, over 30 students scored 300 in JAMB in Kwara state, those are schools that have standard, purpose, discipline, and know what they are doing, when they employ teachers in those schools, they give them a kind of incentives, training, and dedication to sustain that kind of school, unlike public schools.
“The way school is been run is affecting the performance of those schools, that is why if you see any school that is still performing, it will be a missionary school that is been manage according to discipline and standard of that mission.
Olabampe while reacting to the call for Catholics to take back the school described it as a welcome development for standard and discipline, saying the government that has funds to put into schools is not doing enough because the budget for education is nothing to write home about.