By Angel Anonu
Recently, Rev. Sister Mary Cecelia Ojetunde, Principal of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic College, Okokomaiko, along Badagry Expressway, spoke with Vanguard, touching on several issues relating to the educational system in Nigeria…   Excerpts.

Sister, may we know you?

My name is Sister Mary Cecilia Ojetunde. I am a Franciscan sister of the immaculate conception and the Principal of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic College which is located at Mission Street, Okokomaiko, in Lagos state.

How did the name of the school came about?

The college was named after St. Thomas Aquinas, which also is the name of the Parish. The college is owned by the church, hence this name came to be. Besides, Saint Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of the church , who was a great scholar and doctor of the church.

When was the school established?

Sister Mary Cecilia Ojetunde

The secondary school was established in the year 2003. At the beginning, it was a past parish priest of the church, late Fr Adegbite who started the primary school. But for the secondary school, it is Rev Fr Micheal Etegene who started it. The process of establishment has not been easy because the parishioners have to be told and know the impact of education on their children. The building and equipping were handled by the Parish Priest, through the support of parishioners.

Is the school environment conducive for students to learn?

The school environment is very conducive, apart from the road that leads to the school which is bad, although that is a general problem in Okoko. You can look at the beautiful school which is very neat, the students have everything they need ,we have a well equipped  library, a big and modern one, computer lab with enough computers, playing ground, kitchen because the children are fed here.

Good water and electricity which when the light goes off we put on the generator. There are fans in all the classrooms(standard classrooms), we have everything you can think of for them, enough facilities, well trained and qualified teachers.

How many students do you have in the school?

We have 120 students in the school, that is for the college. For the primary section, we have 500.Those who live far away from the school are being picked by the school bus. For now, we have 5 buses that go round to pick students from different places;(Alaba, Agbara,Adaloko,Ketu,Okoko) and they come early to school before the morning assembly. At noon, they are being taken back home.

Is the school approved by the government ?

The college is in the process of seeking approval, because we are still building our own school. We have gone to Alausa for the processing but were asked to move into our own building because the building we are using now is for the primary school.

What are the problems or challenges you are facing in the school?

The challenge we are facing apart from the road which the proprietor has put in a large sum of money on, is that parents who did not pay for the school buses swim through the water to bring their children to school, and they are complaining.

Although, that is a major problem that is being faced in Okokomaiko, also we have the semi-educated and semi-illiterate people in this area and so, they need social awareness in order to see or know the need for them to assist in mending the road. I think that is the problem we have.

What impact is the school making on its environment?

In this environment, I would say since the school is a catholic school, most parents want their children to be well disciplined and have a holistic education. This is where you can get all that from. We are putting in our best academically to see that after their studies here, we will be sending them out to change the corrupt practices in the society and Nigeria as a whole.

Also, most of the students are from this environment and with all they are being taught in school, they go home to teach their friends and parents. The school has also developed the environment by keeping the environment clean and trying to complete the road work.

What do you have to say about the education system in Nigeria?

Talking about the education system, I have two ideas- I can say we are trying and that is why a different  kind of system is put in place. The review is long and we try to make sure that some panels are set up to make sure things are done the right way.

Basically, there should be a kind of awareness that should be going on in the education system .The act of policy making is fine, but when you talk about the implementation stage the problem I have there is that the educationists should try to know what people need basically from the grassroots.

The second area is that we have an attitude in Nigeria generally, it is a kind of we do it when someone is there monitoring. For instance, when my boss is around, I do my work and when he is gone, I turn my back, people should not stand over me before I do my work, the system should give us self dignity so that I will be fulfilled when doing my work.

If I am in the secondary school, whenever I go to the classroom to learn i should learn not because the teacher will punish me if I do not come to class but because I want to learn. This is same in the universities, where students buy handout not because they want to read to gain knowledge but because of they want to do assignments and get their marks.

That is the area I count as difficult. I pray that one day we should be able to know that this thing is for me and can better my life, not because everybody is having it then I must have it. the review is whatever we think is ok, we can work on it instead of throwing it away and using other people’s own.

What are your expectations from the Ministry of Education?

My expectations from the Ministry is that when they bring out policies, they should try and make sure they implement them. I know Lagos is trying but other states should  also try to implement their policies on education. The Ministry of Education should help developing schools in terms of infrastructure, bonus, creating awareness and scholarships.

As for Infrastructure; the ministry should help in equipping schools both private and government.
Bonus; they should be able to give loans to schools for development.

Creating awareness; some parts of Nigeria do not know the value of education. Therefore, the ministry should create awareness especially in local or rural areas.

Scholarship; the ministry should be able to award scholarships to the less privilege  in order for them to be educated.