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Ibadan City Academy Old Students Association Holds 75th Anniversary

Education Knowledge	1265 VIEWS
Education Knowledge
1265 VIEWS

Sunday, January 31, 2021 / 09:50 PM / By ICAOSA / Header Image Credit: ICAOSA

THE NATION in a chat with Dr. Segun Aina OFR, President General of the Ibadan City Academy Old Students Association (ICAOSA) on the 75th Anniversary celebrations of the School.

Dr. Aina is a former Bank MD, former President of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, a global Banking Leader, Africa's Fintech envoy and Chairman of the Board of Odua Investment Co. Ltd.

Q1: Congratulations on your Alma Mater's 75th Anniversary. As the President General, what has it been like, particularly in this difficult time of pandemic managing your members to achieve set goals for your Old School.

A: I became President General on 1st July 2020 when I took over from Pastor Richard Titiloye FCA, who championed the resurgence of the Association in 2017 after a few years of inactivity thus bringing back the lost glory of one of the first commercial educational Institution for boys and girls in the old Western Region. True to its Founder's purpose the school has produced astonishingly successful professionals in every aspect of life but particularly in accounting & finance. The revived Association under Pastor Titiloye's leadership from March 2017 to June 2020 started a phased restructuring and rehabilitation of our school. With that solid foundation it was not too difficult for me to build on the efforts of the past and pursue more aggressive & profound initiatives. When I took over eight months ago inspite of the challenges of covid-19, a large number of old students continued to contribute in cash and kind towards actualising our programs. And thanks to digital technology a lot more interactive meetings have been held in virtual mode with remarkable outcomes and achievements.

Q2: Can you please tell us about Ibadan City Academy, the founding father, and current development in the school and so on.

A: The school was founded on Feb. 6, 1946 by late Chief T. L. Oyesina, a Philanthropist, who was the Abese Olubadan of Ibadanland and a very close associate of the late sage & Premier of Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. In fact they lived next to each other in Oke Bola area Ibadan. Chief Oyesina was a lover of education who also founded Ibadan Boys High School in 1938, and six other educational institutions. We were made to understand that it was Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo that suggested to Late Chief Oyesina the idea of the philanthropist educationist setting up a specialised Commercial Institution that will take care of the shortage in commercial and finance skills in the Civil Service of the then Western Region. That appeared to be how the school came to be in February 1946, set on 30 acres of land on the hills of Odo-Oloro, Eleta, Ibadan now called Academy Area.

Q3: The school will be 75 years old come Feb. 6, 2021 and your Old students Association (ICAOSA) has put together series of activities to mark the event, can you tell us more about the anniversary and the planned events.

A: 75 years in the life of any entity is a milestone achievement that's worth celebrating. ICAOSA under my leadership has a year-long anniversary, from January to December 2021. Two important elements of the year long events is the Founder's Day Special Commemoration holding on 6th February, 2021 and will have as Special Guest of Honour Engr Seyi Makinde, while the Chairman will be Chief Afe Babalola, Founder Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti. Chief Afe Babalola is not only renowned as legal luminary and his love for sound education but somebody who passed through the school in 1959- 1960 as a Teacher, Games Master and Vice Principal. Presidents of Old Students Association of seven top secondary schools in Oyo, Osun & Ekiti States will be presenting & sharing experiences at the occasion. At the same February 6th event, we will do a foundation laying ceremony of the Schools New Multi-Purpose Centre, the perimeter fencing, the unveiling of the Development Endowment Fund and the Launch of the 2nd edition of the Old Students Magazine-the ICAOSA Voice.

Q4: What has been the achievements and impact of the Old Students in the Schools Development:

A: The Old Students of Ibadan City Academy have seen themselves as a key stakeholder and have over the years contributed in various ways to the development of the school. Such areas include advocacy and lobby for government attention for the school, providing scholarships to support needy students, provision of sports facilities, special training sessions and welfare support for teachers. Others include recruitment and payment for six teachers in areas of need as well as the recruitment and payment of salaries for five security guards. But more profound are the infrastructural development support in form of provision of classroom furniture, extensive renovation of classroom blocks, science laboratory buildings, provision of science laboratory equipment, borehole and others. Ongoing interventions are in the area of planned perimeter fencing to provide needed security, rebuilding of the entrance fence and security house, construction of New ICA Multi-purpose Centre that may be commercialised to generate sustainable funding for the School, renovation of the Staff Admin Building, provision of digital and internet facility and building of ICT Lab with e-library facilities. These are just a few of past and ongoing interventions by the old students. In the near future, the Old Students Association (ICAOSA), with the envisaged agreement with the Oyo State Government plan to bring back the boarding house system and operate it on best standards. The boarding house system was scrapped by the State Government some decades ago.

Q5: What advice do you have for governments, parents, students, old associations & the public towards improving educational standards in Nigeria particularly in public secondary schools:

A: It is abundantly clear that government alone cannot provide all the resources required to achieve desired results for govt owned educational institutions including secondary schools. Therefore a multi-stakeholder approach is required and desired to achieve remarkable outcome that will ensure we produce secondary school graduates with the right orientation, mindset and academic prowess needed to change the society. More emphasis needs to be devoted to appropriate capacity building for teachers and to be given the right tools and access to the digital world. This in addition to good remuneration and incentives will increase the level of commitment and dedication. Furthermore, students in secondary school must be given the opportunity to learn of civic duties and responsibilities, and access to digital as well as proper focus and grooming in basic sciences and technology. We are in a digital world and computer studies, should be going forward, be a requirement for all students irrespective of what their future career choices will be. Parents have a great role to play in providing the right parental guidance and supervision. With the combined efforts of these stake-holders we hope to see improvement in the quality of education and quality of secondary school graduates from our public schools. We are committed to play our roles for the anticipated brighter future.

Ibadan City Academy Old Students Association (ICAOSA) cordially Invites You to a Special Webinar to Commemorate the School's 75th Founder's Day Anniversary.

Topic - Experience Sharing on Role of Old Student Associations in Improvement of Education Standards and the Development of Their Alma Mater.

Date - Feb 6, 2021

Time - 12:00 PM WAT/GMT+1

Registration - http://bit.ly/icaosa_75FD

Rsvp: Chief Mrs. Helen Adewale, Chairperson 75th Anniversary Planning Committee - 08033223258, helen_adewale@yahoo.co.uk, remi@bello.online

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