Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has commended the old students of St. Anne’s School, Ibadan, under the auspices of the Seminary-St. Anne’s School Old Girls Association (SSASOGA), for their selfless commitments and for commissioning some projects in the school.
The Governor, through the Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Professor Salihu Abdulwaheed Adelabu, said this on Friday during the 2023 project commissioning and Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association.
The commissioner stressed that the old girls are doing a wonderful job of sustaining the legacy of the school and supporting the education of young girls.
“Some of you are 60, 70, or 80 years old, and you are still passionate about the education of people below 18 years old. I encourage you to keep it up,” the commissioner said.
He tasked the old girls with including information and communication technology (ICT) on the list of their projects for the school to enable the students to be IT savvy and be on par with their peers in other schools in the state and beyond.
The commissioner promised the association that the government would help them resolve the land issue between the school and the church, address infrastructural gaps, improve the student-to-teacher ratio, and address other challenges facing the school.
The president of SSASOGA, Similola Onabanjo, emphasised that, old or young, they are all passionate about their school.
She said the passion springs from the will to give back to the school, the desire to continue to remember the labour of their missionaries, teachers, and heroes, and the desire to join the government in making sure that no one is left uneducated.
“The government alone cannot fund education. So, we have to help the government to help ourselves and our children. That is the clarion call. That is why we are doing so much,” she said.
She demanded from the government, among other things, the right subject teachers, appropriate facilities, and an enabling environment for the school to exile.
“If the government supports and encourages us, we will work better. And the government stands to benefit from it, and the whole of the state will be better for it,” she said.
The chairman of the Oyo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Akinade Alamu, said SSASOGA is among the few passionate old students’ associations in the state.
The TESCOM chairman commended the leadership of the association for dedicating their time and resources towards the development of the school and what they have been able to achieve for the association.
“It is the passion we have for this association that brought us here to celebrate with you. Because of the short history I have heard of the people connected with this association, I will continue to be interested in the development of SSASOGA,” Alamu said.
The Permanent Secretary of TESCOM, Lasun Babajide, stressed that to properly expose students to quality education, the school management and the old students must do the needful.
He added that it is only when students have a complete education that they can be able to join the old student association to develop the school.
Professor Bisi Sowunmi, an old student who gave the vote of thanks, commended SSASOGA members and the government for their efforts towards the development of the state.
The professor stressed that the association will hold the government to its word and the promises it made to support the association and school.
The projects commissioned by the Governor were the Anna Hinderer Utility Centre and the Archive and Museum Building.
On Saturday, during the association’s 2023 AGM meeting, various committees, coordinators, secretaries, and branch leaders presented their reports. The financial statements and analyses of the association were also presented by the external auditor.
The association’s president, Onabanjo, urged the old girls to continue to offer their talent and time to the development of the school.
She also urged them to regularly reach out and get in touch with one another to maintain the friendships and relationships among them.
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