Public schools – particularly primary and secondary schools – are in shambles in terms of infrastructure, teaching and learning. With ever-dwindling financial resources committed to these educational centres, the future of education is at stake. But alumni associations are coming to the rescue, writes IYABO LAWAL.

The wall of the school complex is weather-beaten and flaking. Its corrugated roofing sheets flag in the air, hanging precariously to their wooden support just by a nail or two. The windows have lost their covers, leaving gaping outlets for some unruly students and reptiles to sneak in and out of the school.

Inside some of the classrooms, the concrete floors have given way to embarrassing ‘holes’ begging to be filled. Some of the desks have lost a leg or two and are supported by blocks. It is the same with the long benches.

A few metres away from the building is the staff common room, with its ramshackle door, unhinged, torn and dirty curtains dancing shamelessly through the windows.

The school is less than 50 years but it appears to be on the fringe of modernity and close to extinction. This is not a school in any poor country in Africa or Asia. It is in Nigeria.

Despite the government’s repeated commitment to fund education in the country, schools have been left to their fate.

The responsibility of running schools has been abandoned for alumni associations, who are forced to save their alma maters from extinction. There are dozens of such public schools across the length and breadth of the country.

Public commentators and analysts said since the failure of Federal and state Governments to sustain knowledge acquisition in public primary and secondary schools through investment in infrastructure, alumni associations have taken up the task of saving public schools.

Stakeholders admit that these associations have become an important structure in the education sector, as they play a vital role in developing the system. They said so many graduates from universities and secondary schools have taken up the duties of saving their alma maters, as worthy projects are continually embarked on by them.

Chairman, Association of Nigerian Universities Alumni, Dr Wale Fasakin, said: “We come together every quarter of the year to review activities of associations and find solutions to problems identified in relation to university communities and the education system.”
He said these “associations depend largely on subscription rendered by graduates, which is grossly inadequate to do much. Despite that, a lot has been done by various presidents and their executives in terms of endowment funds, donations to worthy causes, the building of structures and awarding scholarships to students.”

Fasakin, however, suggested that presidents of such associations in universities be made members of their school’s governing board to get acquainted with the challenges of the institution in budget implementation, and to give associations insight into how they can assist their schools.

Chairman of the conference of Old Students and Alumni Associations of Western Nigeria, Prof. Delana Adelekan, emphasised that old students have an important role to play in the educational development of schools.

“They are to be non-partisan and operate with a high level of transparency,” he said.
The deplorable state of public primary and secondary schools did not escape the eye of an educationist, Dr Olu Adesegun, when he said: “We lost it all and today, we find ourselves living in gloom and despondency, without any future that promises anything but despair. We know how we brought ourselves to this regrettable state of affairs we as a people, abused the goodwill of the government and allowed free education to destroy us. When free education could no longer assure quality education, the government refused to admit; and we, as a people, equally refused to accept.”

In his lecture titled, ‘The role and importance of old students in alma mater’, Akin Olabisi, an education consultant, noted that financing education is the responsibility of the federal, state, local governments and private sector.

A retired principal of Baptist Academy, Lagos State, Bosede Ladoba, during the 35th-anniversary re-union/dinner for the 1976/81 sets, on the platform of the Baptist Academy Old Students Association (BAOSA), called on old students’ associations to rise to the challenge of transforming their alma mater.

According to Ladoba, old students must not lose touch with their alma mater; rather they should look for ways to give back to their former schools.

She said: “Sometimes when old students come around, they say to us, this is not our school. Our school used to be very beautiful. It was as if we were overseas, but because of the transition from the government to mission, and the government, there tends to be a change of things. They must not forget their alma mater, the source of their success.”

Alumni associations also play an advocacy role. For example, the St. Anthony’s College, Ubulu-Uku Old Boys Association (SACOBA) in Delta State, once appealed to the state government to come to the aid of the college, specifically asking the authorities to renovate dilapidated buildings, and provide potable water.

The Chairman of the association, Dr Phil Nonyeh noted the years of negligence the school has suffered in the hands of the government. The school founded by the Roman Catholic Church in 1956, has no befitting structure.

Given this, the Asaba branch chairman of the association, Anthony Ifeanyi, said: “Consequently, our association has resolved to set as our signature project the provision of a borehole, reticulation plant, and a 30KVA power capacity generating set for the school.”

A public analyst, Olamide Adesola, declared that unless old students and alumni associations join in revamping the sector, restoring the glory of Nigeria’s academic excellence would remain a mirage.

Adesola said: “We have had series of national conferences and summits on education; trust funds have not only been contemplated, but instituted in some states; and more federal input has been courted.

“But I am convinced the surest way to restore the glory and pre-eminence of the sector is to effectively harness the massive size and passion of old students. A true alumnus is always a proud ambassador of his alma mater, and shoulder the responsibility of promoting and advancing the cause of his old school.”

The quality of teaching and learning, and provision of infrastructure, particularly libraries and laboratories, have become a thing of shame in the country.
The Managing Trustee of EIfDW, Adebowale Thompson, admitted this much. According to him, plans are underway to turn around the fortunes of public schools.

Thompson pointed out that his organisation had adopted the strategy to mobilise the rich and poor, alumni of institutions, trade groups, and community development associations, across the southwest to “do something” for their former schools.

“Institutions that were established many years ago are fast becoming shadows of their past glories. This is simply because the political class, with best intentions, pledged to carry out free education at all levels to the citizenry, but have very little funds to support the programme.

“The citizens themselves have not been fully mobilised and shown that they can contribute to lifting the falling standards by contributing towards the development of education,” Thompson had said.

Weighing in on the issue of alumni associations and their roles in public schools, a former presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, said: “Although alumni activities are more vibrant in universities, it just means that there are many lessons for secondary school alumni associations to learn from. These associations help their alma mater by alleviating its financial burdens through donations.

“In Nigeria where the government finds it increasingly difficult to meet up with its responsibilities, alumni associations should play a vital role in assisting these institutions.

According to him, an alumnus’ perspective is important on the board of school management because such an old student has a good understanding and a sense of belonging to the school.

Speaking on ‘Rejuvenating Nigeria’s collapsed educational system: The roles of alumni and old students’ association,’ a former president of Lagelu High School, Ibadan, Dr Ade Onajole, accused successive governments at all levels of ruining the sector, warned that if Nigerians are waiting for the same crop of people to revamp it, they might as well “put their hands behind their backs or open their mouths expecting manna to fall from heaven.”

Onajole added: “The old students and alumni associations would definitely not be the panacea to all these problems, but they can certainly intervene positively. They can contribute to fund projects in their respective alma mater, and most importantly, they can apply pressure on politicians, governments, industry leaders and individuals to start doing something as far as education is concerned.

“We all owe our various alma mater for whatever education and position we have today. Do not let once-great secondary schools and universities die because our leaders are not doing anything. If they won’t do it, let’s do it our way. Easier said than done you will say, but believe me, it can be done with the right attitude and commitment,” he stated.