By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Dayo Adesulu

Worried by the falling standard of education in Nigeria, stakeholders in the sector have called on governments at all levels to return missionary schools to their original owners if education must get back its past glories.

National President of the Old Boys’ Association of St. John’s Grammar School, Ile Ife, Osun State, Chief Sunday Bolaji made the call in Lagos at the weekend while briefing newsmen on plans to mark the 50th Anniversary and fund-raising as part of activities marking the school’s 50th anniversary.

According to Bolaji, embarking on such policy would help the government save more money to carry out core infrastructure development for the people.

Recalling that the House of Representatives had last week voted for schools to be returned to their original owners, Bolaji said his Alma-mater, St. John’s Grammar School had its own share of  decay both in infrastructure and academics, after missionary schools were taken over by government in 1979.

He said: “Government has no business handling schools, there has been a lot of correspondences calling for them to hands off and I believe that in no distant time, schools will be handed back to their original owners.”

He blamed the recent below par performance by students in the recently released Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as fallout of the mal-administration in schools, commending the Lagos State Government for taking the lead in returning missionary schools to their original administrators.

On activities to mark the Golden Jubilee of the school, Bolaji said that plans were underway to launch a N100 million appeal fund to salvage the deplorable situation in the school and return it to its old glory.

He said: “The school has gone through a rather pathetic transformation since it was taken over by the government such that its enrolment drastically reduced and infrastructure greatly dilapidated. This has thus compelled the old students to rally round and see how they could transform the school for the better.

“We need other members of the association to see the passion we have towards this cause and support it financially, because it is our desire to see the school regain its pride as one of the best in Ile-Ife back in our time.”

Bolaji named some of the projects which the Old Boys Association have completed to include: full renovation of the administrative block, renovation of six classrooms with new chairs and tables, provision of laboratory equipment, installation of podium at the sports arena, among others.

He added that Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State will commission the projects on April 7, 2012 while awards will be given to some old students for their contribution to the school in the last 50 years, as well as cash rewards to current students who excel in Mathematics and Physics.