Jibril Martin old students refurbish school

Towards increasing the stature of Jibril Martin Memorial Grammar School, the 1967/71 sets of the school have refurbished blocks of classrooms and toilets to mark its 50th anniversary as giving back to Alma mata is an act of charity and highly rewarding in Islam.

Speaking during the 50th anniversary, fundraising of E-library and handover of two refurbished blocks of classroom and toilets to the school management, the National President of Anwar-ul Islam Movement of Nigeria/ Proprietor of Anwarul-Ul-Islam Schools, Alhaji Mubashir Ojelade, commended the old students for deeming it fit to give back to the school.

“ I appreciate them, on behalf of the cooperate trustees, leadership and members of Anwarul Islam Movement for the great effort to ensure the school is conducive for students. I also seize this opportunity to appreciate and express our gratitude to other sets in the college that have contributed in one way or the other to the development of the school.”

He said to increase the quality of education in schools, old students must join forces with school management to provide necessary tools and an environment that will promote and encourage learning.

“ The school environment must be conducive, the materials and equipment must be available and must lay strong emphasis on the training and retraining of teachers and other arms that are involved in impacting knowledge on the students.

“ In those days when we were in school, our parents did a lot in a way of complementing the effort of our teachers. No matter what is done in school the parents also have a role to play to monitor their wards and to keep them on their toes, so as to compliment the effort of the schools and the teachers, so that at the end of the day the students and society will be better for it.”

He lamented the rate at which cultism parades in schools, saying during his days in schools cultism is alien, even in the university. “The only thing we had in the universities in our own time is the pirate confraternity and it was not as abusive, erratic as most of the cult groups we have today. Even relatively at the university we never had the kind of cult you have today and I think it is a reflection of the general moral degradation in terms of paying little or no attention to discipline and proper upbringing right from the home front.

“Today parents are not as alert, they are not as dutiful as parents were in those days. Today’s schools, teachers are not as empowered in terms of enforcing discipline in the schools as teachers were in our own time. Today, there is hardly anything a teacher can do by way of enforcing discipline in schools. We need to go back and embrace the practice of old that we have neglected,“ he said.

Chairman, Old students Association Planning Committee, sets 67/71, Alhaji Mohammed Oyinlomo Danmole, said the gesture was part of the sets’ contribution to the development of the alma mater.

“ When the government took over the school, there wasn’t much done compared to what we met when we were enrolled into the school in 1967. Looking at the situation of the classrooms, we knew that something is wrong and that the new administrators of the college would not be able to fund it alone with the meager school fees paid by the students.

“ We have to give back to the school, because the school made us what we became today due to the knowledge impacted on us. We `re giving back to our Alma Mater, so that we can also help to breed people who will be better than us. By doing so we decided to refurbish the classrooms and also build an e-library for the students because if they have a better learning environment to study.”

He added that two blocks with 12 classrooms each and toilets were refurbished.

The Commissioner for Science and Technology Lagos State, Hakeem Fahm said the adoption of technology is imperative in education.

“ We are in the new normal now as the effect of the pandemic has caused massive changes to our daily lives. When we were young we saw libraries around but today how many do we see around because things have changed. We are in a new norm now, we have to adopt technology to move forward.”

The guest lecturer, Mufassir of Lagos Central Mosque, Alhaji Gafar Mofesaye, compared the role Alma mata with parental role, saying the role of parents is to nurture children while the role of the school is also to nurture the students to be good citizens. “If not for the Alma mater so many would have ended up as touts in the society.

It is the school that made us the lawyer, doctor, teacher that we are today.

So, as Allah has enjoined us to take care of our parents we must endeavour to take care of our Alma mater. Allah says in the Holy Quran that do not disrespect your parents, likewise you have to respect your Alma mata too. Respecting your Alma mata is not only referring to the four walls of that school but to the structural and emotional uplifting of those coming behind you presently in the school.”

The Deputy Speaker Lagos State House of asembly, Wasiu Eshinlokun Sanni, commended the project, saying it is a give back effort of former students and alumni of this great school.

“I must commend their initiative and with what the sets have done, I think one should join them in rehabilitating and upgrading the great school.”