By Miracle Ogunde
The principal of St Michael’s Catholic High School, Akure, Ondo State, Adeniyi Oluyide, who was seen dressed as a pupil in uniform and welcoming newly admitted pupils of the school has spoken on the reason behind his action, Starnews Nigeria reports.
Speaking recently in an exclusive interview with newsmen, Oluyide explained that such practice has been in existence in the school for the past three years.
In his words, “It has been a tradition of the school and we have been following that tradition for the past three years. The one for this year is the one in that video trending on the Internet.
“Immediately after we conclude the admission process, we usually have an orientation, which is a one-week programme for newly admitted JSS1 pupils. They come from different homes, and they are graduating to another level of education, so we organised a programme for them. We wanted to make them know the rules and regulations of the school, and how to behave, and for the grand finale, the principal identifies with the pupils to tell them that there was a time when their principal was once like them, and because their principal worked very hard, he became what he is today.
Speaking further, he said “On that day, seeing me in the school uniform was an inspiration to them, that they must dress properly. During that programme, the pupils were full of joy. Each one of them wanted to touch me, and I didn’t chase them away because that was my joy. We later prayed for them. Since we started doing that, the pupils have been performing excellently in their academic work. In the school, we don’t condone any examination malpractice.”
Sharing his academic background, the Principal said “I was born in Akure as far back as 1967. I attended St Peter’s Primary School in Akure and I proceeded to Oyemekun Grammar School also in Akure. I completed my secondary education at Oyemekun Grammar School in 1983. In 1987 I was offered admission by Ondo State University, now Ekiti State University. I got an appointment with the then-Ondo State Education Board and now Ondo State Teaching Service Commission.
He also spoke about his teaching experience, saying “I started my teaching career at St Peter’s Secondary School. I was later transferred to and I am now at St Michael’s Catholic High School.
“I was employed as a teacher in 1991. I have been in the government service since 1991, and I rose through the ranks till I got promoted to the post of principal,” the Principal said.
Giving an insight about the number of pupils recently offered admission to St Michael’s Catholic High School, Oluyide said, “About 2,000 pupils applied to the school but the capacity for the school is just 560, so those (offered admission) were the lucky ones. We admit excellent pupils, and I told them not to relent in their academic work, and that they should be focused on studying. I told them at the same time that coming to school was not about education alone, that they should behave well, they should obey the societal rules and regulations, and respect the nation.”
On how the school has been affected by the different educational policies introduced by the state government, the Principal explained that “The government’s policies have impacted us in many ways. The government employs teachers. In my school, there are over 150 staff members and the least is in Grade Level 12. We have Grade Level 13,14, and 15 officers as teachers and the government pays their salaries.
“We give kudos to the Ondo State Government under the leadership of Governor (Rotimi) Akeredolu; he has been doing well since he came to power. He has been paying the Senior School Certificate Examination fees for SS3 pupils. If he had not been doing that, many pupils might have dropped out.
“Also, we are trying our best to implement the policy of the Ministry of Education and Science and Technology,” he noted.
Narrating how he manages the pupils in his school, particularly the stubborn and less active ones, the principal stated that the school has counsellors who are saddled with the task.
“That is part of our training (as teachers); we study a little of psychology and philosophy during our academic training at the university. There is no way we will not have introverts and extroverts as pupils in school. That was why the government created a department called guidance and counselling. We have counsellors that deal with the pupils in the school. When we see stubborn pupils, the counselor talks to them and advises them.
“You must know that as professional teachers, we are here to mould life not to destroy life. No matter how stubborn a child is when the child is handled by professional teachers, the teacher would be of help.”
Narrating the challenges the school faces currently, Oluyide decried lack of enough buildings to contain the large number of pupils, as well as laboratory equipment for science students, and called on philanthropists to come to their aid.
“We are very large numerically, so we still need philanthropists who can come to our aid in terms of buildings; we need more classrooms. In terms of laboratory equipment, we need a modern laboratory for the pupils.
“We have a large number of pupils who are taking science subjects, and there is no way we can teach them without a modern laboratory. We also have some pupils that are very skillful in creative arts, so we need a fine art room for the pupils. An adage says all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. We also need a modern field for sporting activities and I want to use this opportunity to appeal to well-meaning indigenes of the state as well as corporate organisations to come to our aid in this regard. Education should not be left in the hands of the government alone.
“We need people to join hands with the government to improve education,” he added.
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