Model for Improvement
With a deliberate approach to focusing the minds of its students on the right mix of soft and technical skills, the Ostra Private School is presenting itself as a model for addressing weakening academic curriculum in Nigerian schools. Martins Ifijeh write
future and wellbeing of the country, she said that was why Ostra Private School has decided to join like minds in that regards to tackle poor educational system from the cradle, up to the secondary level, in order to provide foundation for tertiary institutions and then face life in general.
She further said that the quality education which her school offers was a major factor which distinguishes them from others since two decades of its emergence.
The Proprietress also said this was one of the reasons why her school rolled out the drums in high spirit to celebrate the school’s first 20 years and its phenomenal transformation into a model college.
A visit to the school at Okota, Lagos, during the recent anniversary ceremony confirmed the mood at the 20-year-old institution where knowledge, the power that changes the world, is imparted into its children to make them the best.
The anniversary, which was kick-started a week earlier with various activities including music and drama, gave the students the opportunity to showcase heir talents.
Memorable activities that marked other days included a charity visit to Ijamido Motherless Children’s Home, Ota, Ogun State, where bags of rice, cartons of noodles and many other items were donated to the home.
The school’s next port of call was old people’s home, SOS, where students also presented gifts to the internally displaced persons. Their excursion to show kindness and sympathy was capped with a community environmental sanitation, to put into practice the school’s paramount belief of giving back to the society.
Critical stakeholders of the school were not left out of the thrills and spills of the celebration of two decade of the centre of excellence as they also took part in exciting novelty matches.
First, female teachers played against mothers; later, an encounter between fathers and male teachers – all to the entertainment of guests at the event.
The grand finale of the 20th anniversary was scintillating musical performances and drama presentations by the students. This was followed by the award of prizes to distinguished students. Also, members of staff that had served the school meritoriously were also appreciated for their contribution which helped the school to actualise its vision and mission.
In her welcome speech, the ‘pillar’ behind the Ostra schools, Mrs. Ohio-Ehimiaghe, also an educationist, was full of gratitude to God. She said: “We give God all the glory for the days of little beginning for being our help in ages past and our hope for years to come. We are indeed celebrating the faithfulness of God,” she noted.
She described Ostra as a household name in Lagos and its environ because “It’s a school with a culture of excellence, passion and purpose; a trailblazer and a point of reference for other schools within and around,” she declared.
Talking about her experience in Ostra Private School, a group of schools, which came into being in September 1995, starting with playgroup, nursery and primary schools, Mrs Ohio-Ehimiaghe described it as awesome.
“To the glory of God Almighty, I can only say it is by God’s grace because I never knew or thought it could last up to 10 years; let alone 20 years, because of the challenges. But parents who believed the quality of education we were giving and my passion for education as a professional teacher, inspired me to strongly forge on,” she said.
Certainly, there is no mountain without a valley. Ostra Private Schools have also had her own share of valleys. According to its founder, “There was a time we had a population of 500, but suddenly it dropped to 320 because there was no road parents’ cars could ride on to bring children to school.
“We later had challenges from within when some teachers suddenly left us. But as a master of staff development, I quickly got replacements.
“Again, the economic recession made many students to default in payment of fees, some even left without payment. Moreover, some harsh policies have affected us, but God has been merciful,” she recounted.
Nonetheless, the fate of Ostra is not only a saga of challenges, they have fought their way through and are now sitting on seven plots of land. ‘Also in 2006, when we started secondary school, we had 15 classrooms and only 10 students, but today the student population is heart-warming. We have a warm, caring and nurturing environment for early learners and a child-centred education that meets the need of each child,” she added.
While unfolding the future plan of the school, Ohio-Ehimiaghe said, despite its current glorious achievements, it was still far from the peak of its founding fathers dream for it. But, she confidently believes the present level of achievement is quite a strong platform to launch a new flight that will take it to the height of its destined goal.
“I want a situation that in the next 20 years, students that passed through Ostra would stand tall among their contemporaries,” she stated.
But now, the management of Ostra schools have no plan of upgrading the school to a university, instead, “All we just want is to keep impacting knowledge that will put students and ex-students in the forefront in this fast-changing world. My prayer is that one day, all the students that have passed through this school or the current ones, will realise their dreams which hopefully would give Ostra Private Schools a deserved place on the map of the world as one of the leading schools on earth,” she said.
Coordinator of Ostra Private Schools, Mr. James Dedume, who has served the school right from its birth, also noted that Ostra’s products advertise the schools anywhere they go. He confirmed that some ex-students are in big institutions and some that are graduates are already employees in big establishments.
Based on the school’s achievement, the school administrator has a total conviction that by the grace of God, Ostra will produce the country’s President in the future.
All we just want is to keep impacting knowledge that will put students and ex-students in the forefront in this fastchanging world
Primary education is critical to the growth and development of any child, but secondary education should be improved for the achievement of a desired result
When T. H. White said in his book; ‘The Once and The Future King’ that children need to be trained in the way they can be mirrored as adults, he was not only talking about how much they should be trained to graze cattle and use swords, but also on how they can get proper moral and educational training that would better their lives and their society when they finally grow up to be adults.
Governments and organisations in developed countries and some developing countries (even among some African countries) who understand this charge, have never failed to raise standards for children in their society. This is obvious in the way Nigerians (especially children of government officials, rich and middle class Nigerians) flock these countries for quality education.
Unfortunately, Nigeria is still struggling to raise its educational standards that has continued to spiral downwards, year in year out, due to lack of clear cut policies to address the shameful educational system in the country that has made several international institutions query our degrees and certificates.
Stating that Nigeria’s educational system was going weaker by the day due to government’s negligence in tackling the issue from the foundation, the Proprietress, Ostra Private School, Okota, Mrs. Rosemary Ohio- Ehimiaghe, said unless Nigerian children were provided with proper foundation at the early stage, especially at primary level, it may be difficult for the country to bring true transformation to the educational sector, adding that nothing can be built on nothing.
She insisted that falling standard of education in Nigeria was as a result of wrong foundation for many of today’s children. “Primary education; the educational foundation of every child, and secondary education should be improved for the achievement of desired result, adding that this was critical in achieving the goal of producing quality graduates from the university.
The seasoned educationist said: “Poor standard of education is coming as a result of wrong foundation of today’s children. Primary education is the educational foundation of every child and secondary education should be improved for the achievement of desired result,” she said.
She stressed: “If we don’t get it right from there, then, no matter how much we try to transform the university, the results wont make much impact. We need to get it right as a nation, as parents and our value system is important.”
The Proprietress frowned at a situation where some schools teach science without laboratory equipments, some teach about 30 students with just two or three computers, adding, “those are the contributing factors to the failing educational system in the country.
“Teachers need tools to teach these children, they should get the children involved and not just allowing them soak themselves on social media. So it is all about getting it right from the beginning,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Ostra Private School, Okota, has decided to fill this gap in its own little way by nipping the issue in the bud through deliberate attempt to provide basic and standard educational foundation for young minds in its institution.
With state of the arts facilities, enabling environment and qualified teachers, the proprietress said the school was ready to bring positive impacts to the society.
According to her, “over 40 per cent of those who pass through this school are currently on scholarship abroad because of the exemptional mark they leave behind any where they are. Also, over 15 per cent of our ex-students are currently doing well in United States, United Kingdom, Italy and Canada,” she added.
While stressing that Nigerians who get standard education during their childhood days would go a long way in changing the