Industry experts in the field of education have kicked against the use of quota system as a condition to gain admission into unity schools. This they say is killing the attainment of standard in the education system.
Those who know in education sector insist that unless this abnormal trend is reversed, Nigeria education system will continue to suffer in the process of grooming students who are globally competitive.
Concern stakeholders in their various summations at the 30th-anniversary symposium of the 1982-88 set of King’s College opines that the admission system has been tampered with.
Kayode Soremekun, vice chancellor, Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) observes that King’s College used to be an aristocracy of brains. Now, it just has the name. The college needs to go back to admission based on intelligence, not quota system, which is killing the college, to return it to its past glory.
Soremekun however opined that irrespective of the decadence, King’s College brand still stands in superlative profile adding that the management of King’s College should go back to admitting pupils based on intelligence.
Sylvester Onoja, former Principal King’s College (PKC) is of the opinion that the inability to have men of character to administer the education system is the bane of the sector.
According to him, “Unless educationists are ministers, education will not improve in Nigeria. Today, we have an accountant for a minister. The quality of teacher training has also gone down. We don’t have quality teachers anymore”.
Onoja advocated that Nigeria need to jettison the idea of monetising admission while reiterating that Federal government and mangers of education in the country must bring back merit, as opposed to quota system, and keep the population of the schools down.
“If this is done, coupled with the recruitment of quality teachers, the unity schools will be better for it,” he said.
Olumide Akpata, an active member of the Kings College 82-88 set said the idea behind the various infrastructure interventions in their Alma Mata is base on the fact that the school represents a foster mother to all the students.
To him, “If we do not make efforts to move the school forward, by the time we clock 60 years we will not meet anything to celebrate. We need plans, alternatives and main plans in case we hit a brick wall. If we can fix KC, we can fix Nigeria”.
Kashim Imam, President Kings College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) lauded the 82-88 set for donating a lawn tennis court, an e-braille library for the visually impaired and a waste management system
In his words, “I am particularly proud of the members of this set because they have done exceedingly well in their chosen fields and, more importantly, for the three projects they have donated to the school.
He observe that the Federal Government cannot provide everything that the education sector require based on the current realities, therefore it is left for old students to contribute to move not just their Alma Mata forward, but the education sector in general.
On his part, Olusola Isaac Kolawole, Principal Kings College urged the old boys not to give up, but liaise with the government for help.
“I want to suggest that in your communique you should put that KC should be seen as a national heritage. I want to appeal to the old students, don’t be tired. Forget all the past mistakes; let us join hands to take the college to the highest pinnacle,” he said.
KELECHI EWUZIE
