Otunba Winjobi: it is unpleasant to see our children who use torch, telephone light to write the exam in the night

*A welcome address delivered by dr. Tola Winjobi, President Osogbo Grammar School Alumni Association (Home & Abroad) which marks the 2025 Old Student Day Teghind “Teaching for knowledge, teaching for fun” organized at Osogbo Grammar School, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria, Thursday 29 May 20 May 2025

*The principal, Osogbo Grammar School, members of the Executive Council of the Ogs Alumni Association, our same elderly, staff and students, distinguish women and gentlemen.

I welcome everyone for this era event that marks the old Student Day program established by the State Government of Osun. This is the era because the Osogbo Grammar School Alumni Association (Ogsaa) is the only association that brings together this program throughout the state of Osun. This is not surprising because Osogbo Grammar School itself is a Setter of rhythm that is the first school of grammar in the Osun division founded in 1950. His association Alumni is also the first to have organized an event organized on the old day tagged “teaching for knowledge, teaching for fun”.

This event today is an opportunity to bring to the old school students who have excellent in their activities or professions to talk to our students. Teaching for knowledge, many of these our former students who have volunteer have come from different professions such as nursing, law, engineering, architecture, implementation sciences, development, tic, even teaching. Some came to keep career interviews while some have chosen to teach several subjects to the students. By teaching for fun, some of them came to relate their life history that recalls life when they were at school and in life in the widest society while some are for professional training and beyond academic learning.

Apart from the teachers of novels of former students who have volunteered to teach today, there are other former students who will serve as supervisors while others have come to observe. For those of you who do not teach, I encourage you to visit those lessons and rejoice our novels.

This is the type of program that we plan that the governments of other states of the Federation emit by establishing their old students of the students. It is also an event worthy of emulation by the associations of other old students in Nigeria. Dò Curriculum at the National Executive Council of the Osogbo Grammar School Alumni Association for having put together this program of relevant academic and relevant for the benefit of our students.

Since over 18 million pupils are out of school, I recommend that the government has implemented co-curricular activities such as this event and provide a qualifying environment not only to attract students, but also to create positive nostalgia in them to simplify their minds to school activities.

The government should provide the necessary infrastructure structures in schools while they repair those dilapidated structures while most of our school buildings and roofs are collapsing. It is a painful eye to see our students who receive lessons under the tree due to the failed structures. It is unpleasant to see our children who use the light of the torch and laptop to write the night exam while some sit on windows and blocks available to receive lessons all due to the infrastructure deficiency.

We should all denigrate the multiple test to obtain admission to higher institutions in Nigeria. The government should revisit the jamb. Jamb, apparently, is designed to fail the students since some of the content of the examination go beyond the level of understanding of the candidates who are only ending their secondary school education. Despite all the reading of the penalty to pass the jamb, candidates have yet to undergo the qualification test in each university and climb the department votes. Since Jamb has lived above its usefulness, the exams are conducted by each institution after everything we already have on an excessive number of higher institutions in Nigeria.

I congratulate the effort of the state government of Osun in establishing this old student day. Others should follow suite. However, the government should follow the speech ensuring that the day is observed literally. The old students should be encouraged to organize similar programs such as ours. Every year it should have its own theme because no theme is given by the government. We used our initiative only to find one theme every year.

I wish everyone a successful trip this year.

At school! Up OGS !! Continue to push !!!

*Otunba Tola Winjobi (PHD)
National president,
Osogbo Grammar School Alumni Association (Ogsaa)