(*50*) Ogundare
As the 1976 set of the Lagos City College Old Students’ Association (LACCOSA) marks its 50 years since graduating from the establishment, it has reaffirmed its dedication to academic growth by way of infrastructure provision, scholarships, laboratory rehabilitation and pupil mentorship.
Speaking at a press convention, Monday to herald the anniversary celebrations themed, ‘Uncommon Grace’, the Chairman of the anniversary committee, Dave Nwanze, defined that the affiliation had constantly supported its alma mater, by way of tasks and initiatives aimed toward bettering instructing and studying.
He emphasised its interventions within the provision of pupil desks and lockers, water amenities, solar energy, studying gear and scholarships, including that it has additionally sustained a scholarship programme for 40 college students sponsored by its North American members over the previous three to 4 years.
“The association has also rehabilitated the school’s Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Agricultural Science laboratories, while providing photocopiers, laptops and other essential facilities to support academic activities,” he stated.
The initiative, the chairman famous, has helped beneficiaries enhance their tutorial efficiency, with some utilizing their outcomes to safe admission into universities.
Beyond infrastructure and monetary help, Nwanze stated the affiliation has additionally organised profession talks, mentorship programmes and different actions designed to encourage college students and put together them for future alternatives.
As a part of this 12 months’s golden jubilee celebrations, he stated it plans to additional recognise excellent college students within the sciences, industrial topics and humanities, with awards meant to encourage tutorial excellence and encourage different learners.
The celebrations, scheduled to maintain from October 19 to 24, will characteristic actions designed to reconnect members with their alma mater and strengthen the affiliation’s contribution to schooling.
On October 21, members will return to Lagos City College for mentorship lectures on the theme, ‘Path to Success’, the inauguration of a company social accountability challenge and an interreligious thanksgiving service.
The celebrations, Nwanze stated, will culminate in a grand finale gala evening on October 24, on the Radisson Blu Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
The chairman emphasised that the anniversary theme displays its gratitude to God for sustaining members over the previous 5 many years and offering a possibility to give again to the establishment that formed their childhood.
The anniversary additionally comes as the varsity prepares to increase its tutorial choices.
According to him, approval for the institution of a junior secondary faculty part was secured just lately, marking a major growth within the establishment’s historical past.
The growth, he said, is predicted to present a pathway for youthful pupils to progress from junior to senior secondary schooling inside the faculty.
On his assesment of the schooling sector over time, an alumnus of the school, Kunle Sanyaolu, stated the growing variety of college students, with out a corresponding enlargement of infrastructure and instructing sources, might restrict interactions between lecturers and learners and have an effect on college students’ acquisition of information.
He said that the training surroundings had modified significantly because the alumni graduated from the establishment 5 many years in the past.
Sanyaolu recalled that: “Students in our time had more opportunities to interact with teachers because of the relatively manageable number of learners in their classrooms.”
He, nonetheless, expressed concern that the growing pupil inhabitants might make such interactions tougher, significantly the place the variety of lecturers and out there amenities had not saved tempo with enrolment.
He stated: “When you have one teacher to so many students, that means the teacher-student ratio becomes a concern. That is something we did not quite experience in our time because we had the opportunity to interact with our teachers.”
Sanyaolu additionally emphasised the strain on faculty infrastructure, citing the meeting corridor, which served college students when the alumni had been at school.
According to him, the amenities out there 5 many years in the past could now not be ample to accommodate the present pupil inhabitants, doubtlessly creating congestion and affecting the general studying expertise.
He stated these challenges, straight or not directly, might affect the standard of schooling and information acquired by college students.
Sanyaolu urged stakeholders to pay higher consideration to the connection between pupil enrolment, instructor availability and college infrastructure in efforts to enhance academic outcomes.
