…..condemns poor state of Nigerian educational system
A Non Governmental Organisation, Rasaq Aliyu-Apaguntan Foundation (RAAF) has donated note books and other learning materials to over 2500 pupils across six Primary Schools at Share town, the Headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The NGO, which expressed displeasure over the poor state of Nigeria educational system, said the gesture was aimed at adding more value to the standard of education in the area.
Some of the beneficiaries were drawn from Muslim Primary School, Christ Apostolic Church Primary School, Shayo Primary School, Community Primary School and Unite Missionary Church of Africa (UMCA) Primary School, Share.
The Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Engr. Rasaq Aliyu Opeyemi while presenting the materials to the pupils, explained that the motive behind the donation was to improve teaching and learning among the people of the community.
He said the gesture was part of measures to reduce education burden on parents in the area, and to build the future of our children.
According to him,” many students are out of schools today just because their parents could not afford the basic education needs”.
Engr Rasaq said his contributions to the lives of the pupils was to give the less privileged hope and to prepare them for future challenges.
“I sponsored myself to achieve what I could in education after I lost my two parents at a tender age. I engaged in petty trade and sponsored myself in school because I realised that without education I may not achieve in life” he said.
The donor, who doubles as the Chairman and CEO of Rosco Joe 04 Bella Engineering Limited, attributed the major challenge facing the country’s education system to lack of seriousness on the part of teachers in the public schools.
He said, “most parents today prefere their children to attend private schools because they have lost hope in the government owned schools”.
Opeyemi, while appreciating the Share traditional ruler and people of Share for various supports given to him, advised government against privatising education in Nigeria.
He mentioned that the privatisation of education would affect the school enrolment of children from poor backgrounds.
He however appealed to the government to rededicate efforts and redirect her searchlights to education sector in order to improve the quality of education in the state.
The CEO also charged government to provide enabling environment for Public Private Partnership (PPP) in education, and to also address the issue of unemployment in order to make youth to be self reliant and job creators after graduation.
He informed that his NGO would later create opportunities for Private schools to benefit from some of the projects of his foundation.
In his comment, the Olupako of Share land, HRH, Oba Alhaji Abubakar Garba also called on all and sundry, particularly the sons and daughters of Share to return home to contribute to the development of the town.
Alhaji Garuba equally called on the people of the town to emulate the gesture done on the schools’ pupils by the NGO.
Oba Garba stated that the contribution of RAAF would further increase the enrolment of children in schools in the community.
Responding, Alhaja Afusat Adeleye of CAC Primary School, expressed appreciation to RAAF for contributing meaningfully to educational standard of Share and the people.
Adeleye, who described the gesture as timely and manifold, charged other well meaning people from Share to emulate RAAF in order to make lives better through quality education.
While thanking the donor for his gesture, Alhaja Adeyeye promised that the material would be used judiciously by the would be beneficiaries, even as she called on other well meaning Nigerians and relevant stakeholders to invest in the education of Nigerian children for the attainment of better tomorrow.
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