By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, on Monday celebrated with the children of interior communities of LGEA Primary School, Ileke-Emonoja, Ogugu, Olamaboro LGA of Kogi, on the occasion to mark the 2019 National Children’s Day.
The commissioner through her NGO, Ladi Memorial Foundation (LMF) Chateko Vocational Institute, also distributed school bags, provisions and confectioneries to the pupils, while the State Government through her ministry donated textbooks to the school.
Osikoya said that it was her first time of having such privilege to celebrate the ‘children’s day’ with the children in an interior village where there was no light and water describing it as ”off the grid and out of the box experience.
”I am quite encouraged because it is a way of giving back to the community and giving hope to the indigent children at the grassroots.
”We are having the opportunity to do this and for me it is a whole lot of lessing”.
According to her, piloting ”Adopt a School” initiative, canvassing for community ownership, stakeholders involvement and individual social responsibility to ensure sustainable educational development at community level, is quite an engaging experience.
She added that the experience had also given her the opportunity to see what the communities should contribute to the welfare of everybody in terms of action either as Individual or as group.
”Indeed, one hasn’t quite lived until you do something impactful, tangible to the vulnerable indigent groups, without expectation of appreciation or payback.
”To get to where we are going is when the community members like myself and others decide to come back to the root and change the narrative.
”I feel truly honoured to be able to do this. I hope that in time to come, we don’t just go to orphanages in the cities, but we could actually come to our roots where there are still lots of needs,” she said.
The commissioner also advised teachers, community leaders and other stakeholders to wake up to their responsibility and ensure they do their own parts.
The School Principal, Mr Timothy Oguche, said that the school was established in 1967, but had been neglected without adequate attention.
He appealed to the government and other stakeholders to come to the aid of the school including the teachers’ welfare.
He commended the commissioner for supporting the school and for taking her time to come down to associate with the children.
Oguche also thanked the LMF Chateko Vocational Institute for single handedly providing school uniforms for all the 118 pupils of the school and prayed God to continually replenish them.
The LG Education Secretary, Mr Sunday Akor, said the school had never celebrated Children’s day for the past two decades, saying ”our children have never gathered like this to celebrate this day in the last 20 years”.
He commended the commissioner for making the community proud and the state at large.
The Chairman of the School Based Management Committee (SBMC), Mr Joseph Onuh, extolled the commissioner for the initiative and for putting smiles on the faces of their children.
He also commended Gov. Yahaya Bello for appointing one of their own illustrious daughters to serve in such capacity.
Onuh further commended the commissioner for the turnaround development she had brought to the ministry, their community and the state at large.
He also thanked the ministry for the establishment of SBMC in their school, while commending her for donating school uniforms to the school.
Onuh noted through the committee, the community had been able to employ two additional teachers for the school.
The highlight of the event was the cutting of the children’s day cake by the pupils presented to the children by the commissioner.
Gift items distributed to the pupils were: school bags packaged with books, pencils, erasers, rulers & sharpens. All the 118 pupils got a package each.
Gifts to the school were: one complete set of textbooks for all subjects, with teachers’ guides and workbooks, Abacus, crayons and class play balls.
The bags were produced by the trainees of the LMF Chateko Vocational Institute in Ileke-Emonoja, Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State.
