National President, Ansar-Ud-Deen Grammar School Surulere Old Students’ Association, Alhaji Kazeem Adekunle Alaka, has said a well run alumni association is an alternative means of funding the educational sector in Nigeria.
.He stated this in his keynote address at the 40th graduation anniversary of the 1979/84 chapter of the association in Lagos recently.
He said as members of Old Students’ or Alumni Association, the former students or graduates come together after graduation to form a network, by pulling resources together for their mutual benefit and that of their alma mater.
He said they exist primarily to foster interaction amongst these entities. The basic philosophy behind such association is the development of a platform for mutual support socially, for their members, individually and collectively, and for the development of their alma mater and by extension, the nation.
He said, “The objectives of OSA are basically two: To give back to the school; to give back to members.
“Giving back to the school is a great way of keeping the school’s legacy going and ensures that future generations of students have the will to excel more in their academic pursuit.
“Old Student association is an alternative means of funding education sector in Nigeria. Government cannot do it alone. Giving scholarship to students of their Alma Mater and infrastructural development of facilities in the school are ways of funding education by the OSA.
“The concept and innovation of OSA is a means of giving hope and support to current students of the school. When we stage Founder’s Day lecture, the focus has been on getting lectures delivered by an Old Student.
“This is a way of telling the current students that you can emulate the likes Professor Imran Oluwole Smith SAN, Engr. Dr. Jubril Adedapo Adeyemo, Hon. Justice Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo, a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, and a host of others who serve as role models for the young students of the school.”
Alaka said the OSA assesses the level of deterioration of some school’s equipment in their Alma Mater with a view to refurbishing or outright replacement. He cited the instance when Chapter 1966/70 renovated the Olasiji Layeni Memorial Hall with modern design and state of the earth equipment. Then the renovation of the school ICT Lab by Chapter 1974/79, and provision of Solar Light Panels with poles for the school’s compound, amongst others.
According to the national president, the presence or establishment of OSA in any school makes it to be in constant torch with the Management and Staff of the school. ADGSSOSA played a prominent role in the take-over of our school from Government many years ago.
Part of the role of OSA, he said, is to ensure that truly their Alma Mater is producing the right kind of students for the society. If not, they should step in to correct the anomalies.
Alaka enumerated the benefits of OSA membership to the individual as networking opportunities to find a new job, advance in career and financial assistance.
He said, “Many OSA offer resources like career services to help members advance in their careers; organise social events such as re-union, networking events, reconnect with former classmates. Improve friendship with fellow classmates.
“Sense of community – to provide for others, communal sprits in members is developed. When the OSA renders welfare services to members, it will gear up communal sprit in members to give charity. It can assist one another’s children to secure gainful employment or admission into schools.
“OSA is a stress management tools. When you go to meetings, you discuss, chat and socialise with fellow classmates, the stress in you is managed during that time and it can be solved or reduced. When you have challenges, you know who to call.
“OSA is a tool to reshape your living style for better and encourage you to drop some bad habits and pick up good ones. For example – educational advancement, dressing habit etc.
OSA is a tool to give thanks to the Almighty GOD for the good achievements in life. When you are with your colleagues that are less privileged than you, you will thank GOD and be willing to help others.
“When the various roles being played by the OSA are achieved, we are building a great nation, socially, academically, intellectually/financially, plus having a stress-free nation.
The event had as theme, ‘My Alma Mater, Towards Relationship that Matter, and Friendship that last.’
Chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Abdulwasiu Kehinde, in his welcoming speech, took the audience way back memory lane when they met as impressionable young boys in 1979 “while on a journey in pursuit of knowledge and a better tomorrow.”
“As young boys and girls, in the course of this five-year journey, we shared very invaluable and memorable thoughts, moments and secrets; we bonded, bantered, quarrelled and engaged in those naughty things students do.
“And after being moulded by Mrs Gbobaniyi’s regular reprimands, shaped by Alh El-Imam’s canes and nurtured by the tutoring of countless teachers in science, art and commercial subjects, we all parted ways in 1984, precisely June, to continue our different life journeys in spheres and climes respectively diverse and distant.
“That parting took place exactly 40 years ago. And we are here today in a colourful celebration of that beautiful milestone. May God rest the souls of our members who have since passed on. “
He said the celebration was the culmination of an idea muted by, Doyin Ishola.
He said, “The journey that culminated in today’s destination started like a joke when Mr Doyin Ishola, muted the idea of a 40th graduation anniversary celebration. That idea is today’s reality. It was the precursor to this nostalgic yet beautiful gathering. Expectedly, several meetings were held both virtually and physically at the levels of committees and general forum. And while many of the meetings were robustly engaging, a few were simply turbulent. But at the end of it all, progress was made and the result is what we are witnessing in this hall.”
He described the event as a reunion between friends to reconnect with one another and share old memories. “It is to bolster social kinship and further create room for a friendship that is enduring. This explains the reason for the choice of our anniversary theme, My Alma Mater: Towards Relationships That Matter, And Friendships That Last.”
“However, before today’s event we had made a symbolic visit to Randle General Hospital where some medical items were donated. A career talk for SS1&2 students would have also come up last Thursday, June 20 but for the change in the school’s academic calendar which necessitated a shift in date. The talk which will be facilitated by the old students of the school and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) will now hold on Tuesday, June 25 Insha Allah.
“Further to the above, we have donated a public address system to Layeni Hall and customised notebooks to the students while plan is also ongoing to redesign the green area in front of the school’s car park and replace it with a gazebos (a sitting area) where students and other stakeholders can relax. Apart from serving as a relaxation spot for the students in particular and other stakeholders in general, the gazebos, when completed, will raise the aesthetic value of the school a notch higher. We intend to raise funds for that today,” he added.