*AN ADDRESS OF WELCOME DELIVERED BY DR TOLA WINJOBI, PRESIDENT OSOGBO GRAMMAR SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (HOME & ABROAD) MARKING THE 2025 OLD STUDENT DAY PROGRAMME THEMED ‘TEACHING FOR KNOWLEDGE, TEACHING FOR FUN’ ORGANISED AT OSOGBO GRAMMAR SCHOOL, OSOGBO, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA ON THURSDAY 29TH OF MAY 2025
*The Principal, Osogbo Grammar School, members of the Executive Council of OGS Alumni Association, our very seniors, staff and students, distinguish ladies and gentlemen.
I welcome you all to this epoch making event marking the Old Student Day programme instituted by Osun State Government. This is epoch making because Osogbo Grammar School Alumni Association (OGSAA) is the only association putting this programme together in the entire Osun State. This is not surprising because Osogbo Grammar School itself is a pace setter being the first grammar school in Osun division established in 1950. Her alumni association is also the first to have organized event on Old Student Day tagged “teaching for knowledge, teaching for fun”.
This event today is an opportunity to bring to the school old students who have excelled in their businesses or professions to talk to our students. Teaching for knowledge, many of these our alumni who have volunteered to come are from diverse professions such as nursing, law, engineering, architecture, actuary science, development, ICT, even teaching. Some have come to give career talks while some have elected to teach different subjects to the students. Teaching for fun, some of them have come to relate their own life story reminiscing life when they were in school and life in the larger society while some are for vocational training, and beyond academic learning.
Apart from alumni novel teachers who have volunteered to teach today, there are other alumni who are going to serve as supervisors while others have come to observe. For those of you who are not teaching, I encourage you to visit those classes and cheer up our novel teachers.
This is the kind of programme we expect governments of other states in the federation to emulate by instituting their own Old Student Day. It is also an event worthy of emulation by other old students’ associations in Nigeria. I give kudos to the National Executive Council of Osogbo Grammar School Alumni Association for putting together this worthwhile and academic-relevant programme for the benefit of our students.
As over 18 million pupils are out school, I recommend that government should put in place co-curricular activities like this event, and provide enabling environment to not only attract students but also to create in them positive nostalgia to streamline their minds to school activities.
Government should provide necessary infrastructural facilities in schools while they repair those dilapidated structures as most of our school buildings and roofs are collapsing. It is an eye sore seeing our students receiving lessons under the tree due to failing structures. It is unpalatable seeing our children using torch and handset light to write exam in the night while some sit on windows and available blocks to receive the lessons all due to infrastructural deficiency.
We should all decry the multiple test to gain admission into higher institutions in Nigeria. Government should overhaul JAMB. JAMB, it seems, is designed to fail students as some of the exam content goes beyond the level of understanding of the candidates who are just finishing their secondary school education. Despite all the rigour reading to pass the JAMB, candidates still have to undergo the qualifying test at each university and scale departmental cut-off marks. Since JAMB has over lived its usefulness, let exams be conducted by each institution after all we have over bloated number of higher institutions in Nigeria already.
I commend the effort of Osun State government in instituting this Old Student Day. Others should follow suite. However, government should walk the talk by ensuring the day is observed to the letter. Old students should be encouraged to organize similar programmes like ours. Each year should have its own theme as no theme is given by government. We only used our initiative in coming up with a theme each year.
I wish us all a successful outing this year.
Up School! Up OGS!! Keep pushing!!!
*Otunba Tola Winjobi (PhD)
National President,
Osogbo Grammar School Alumni Association (OGSAA)
