THE BENEFICIARIES OF QUALITY EDUCATION

Old students owe a duty to give back to the institutions which nurtured them, writes Akinwunmi Ambode

Your annual dinner serves as family get-together for all Old Students of Government College Ughelli. I am a product of Government College Warri and just like you, I was nurtured in the doctrine of unity as a strategic tool for national development. In addition, we are beneficiaries of best quality education that could be offered at that time.

Today, we can look back with pride because whatever we have achieved today could be attributed to the solid foundation and exposure we were given by committed, passionate and dedicated teachers within a conducive learning environment. More significantly is the pan-Nigerian and detribalised spirit that was inculcated in us by the system.

I commend your past efforts that have greatly impacted on the present status of the school and your desire to ensure that it stands out among equals in the comity of state-owned Government Colleges across the nation.

I strongly believe that we owe it a duty to give back to the institution which contributed to the success that we have achieved in life. This is the whole essence of Old Students Associations, apart from providing a platform to reconnect, network and share experiences.

It is common knowledge that as a result of dwindling resources and competing needs, government is increasingly finding it challenging to provide all that is required in public schools without support.

TODAY, WE CAN LOOK BACK WITH PRIDE BECAUSE WHATEVER WE HAVE ACHIEVED TODAY COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE SOLID FOUNDATION AND EXPOSURE WE WERE GIVEN BY COMMITTED, PASSIONATE AND DEDICATED TEACHERS WITHIN A CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

It has therefore become expedient for Old Students Associations to increase their commitment to their alma mater particularly in the area of infrastructure development and upgrading.

One other area we need to direct our attention, which the theme of this dinner is focusing on, is the effective integration of Information, Communication, (and) Technology (ICT) in our educational system. This is extremely important if we desire to raise a generation that can hold their space in the rapidly changing and competitive global system driven by knowledge and technology.

In Lagos State, technology education is an integral part of our Smart City Project. About a year ago, we unveiled the Code Lagos Initiative, which is aimed at teaching computer programming to students in Lagos State. Under this initiative we have a target to make coding communication accessible to one million students in the state by 2019. This is just one of the initiatives we are introducing in our school system, to position young people to take advantage of local and global opportunities in the 21st century.

On a final note, I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to experience the emerging new face of Lagos, which is currently ranked as the 5th largest economy in Africa. Excerpts of speech delivered by Ambode, Governor of Lagos State, at the 6th Annual National Dinner of Government College Ughelli Old Boys Association