The worsening state of Nigeria’s secondary schools has sparked fresh concerns among alumni and education stakeholders, who gathered at the 40th anniversary reunion of the 1985 set of Gbongan/Ode Omu Anglican Grammar School (Unity), Gbongan.
They expressed concern over infrastructural decay, teacher shortage, dwindling government support, and declining learning outcomes. Executive Secretary of the Senior Secondary Education Board, Mrs. Hannah Kolawole, in his keynote address, warned that Nigeria risks jeopardising its future if urgent measures are not taken to rescue secondary education.
She described education as the country’s “most powerful weapon,” reminding that no country can develop beyond the quality of its schools.
“This anniversary is not merely a celebration of time, but a celebration of legacy and responsibility,” Kolawole said, adding that the school had, for decades, produced eminent Nigerians across law, engineering, governance, healthcare, business, and academia.
Kolawole lauded the old students for intervening where government support had dwindled, citing classroom renovations, library upgrades, provision of boreholes, and electricity as examples of alumni-driven development.
She, however, appealed to the association to increase investment in digital learning, vocational skills, and values-driven education, to enable the school keep pace with technology and global standards.
Members of the 1985 set echoed her concerns, painting a bleak picture of public secondary education in the state. Vice-Chairman of the Governing Board, Mr. Femi Yusuf, said the set had been compelled to pay examination fees of senior secondary school students as well as the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), fund tutorials, and employ teachers in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English to fill staffing gaps.
“One of the most meaningful things we can do is continue contributing to the development of the institution that shaped us,” Yusuf said.
Chairman of the Planning Committee, Wale Adeleke, described the reunion as both historic and alarming. He said the school’s present condition reflects a nationwide problem of neglect, citing teacher shortage in vital subjects.
“It is almost unbelievable that a school of this size does not have teachers in Physics, Computer Science, and English,” he said. Adeleke urged old students across the world to reorganise and pool resources more effectively as the institution prepares for its 70th anniversary, noting that while infrastructure may deteriorate, investment in human capital remains indispensable.
