EDUCATION BUILT TO LAST Pat Utomi Many years ago I was in Germany for the wedding of a German colleague. Impressed by the church building which looked like it was rooted in antiquity I exclaimed; ‘remarkable old edifice’. A German standing beside me informed me politely but just matter-of-factly: this church is not so old. It is only about 800 years old. Seeing that my own Parish church in Lagos built about 1959 was being knocked down to be rebuilt, I began to approach him strangely. He then quickly added there were churches more than a thousand years old not too far away. Those who built Loyola College in Ibadan some sixty years ago thought they were building an institution and turning boys into men prepared; in know ledge, wisdom and character to last forever. Yes men can last forever, what I have referred to in the past as the two, immortalities:- material and spiritual. In the material sphere, to touch lives and make a difference such that the person is remembered long after his body has become pure dust. Spiritual immortality comes for people of faith who get to see God face to face. But as Loyola College marks 60 years does today look better than yesterday, which is what must happen to everything designed to last. St Ignatius of Loyola and Partners founded the Jesuits order, which has been described by one Jesuit as the 400 year old company that changed the world through being masters of education. Chris Lowney’s book show cases leadership lessons from the Jesuit tradition. Perhaps these lessons led the society of African Missions to set up Loyola College in Ibadan as tribute to St Ignatius of Loyola. The SMA priests managed to set high standards. Back in the 1960s Loyola College was nicely referred to as Junior Varsity and back in those days when the Ashby Commission suggested it was easier to get into the Harvard than the University of Ibadan, almost entire classes from Loyola got into the College of medicine at the University of Ibadan. Then suddenly populism came. I used to enjoy high banter with the late Chief Bola Ige in which I accused his Government of degrading my alma mater. When a group of us old boys including then Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Apostle Hayford Alile, then Vitafoam MD Chief Sam Bolarinde visited for a home coming back in the 1980’s Apostle Alile’s son was puzzled that his father could have schooled in such an environment. Yet it was an environment in which many of us had a time of our lives. In those days of the civil war, we the boys from the Midwest enjoyed the freedom our war front home state lacked. From the big boys like Tonnie Iredia and Emmanuel Idehen and the deep war front people like Chris Ogbechie, Edmund Egbumokhai, Charles Ugorji, Joe Keshi yes this same Ambassador Keshi and serious troublemakers like myself it was a family. Even the Etomis who kept getting my messages later in life because many cannot tell between E and U added to the fun of Junior Varsity days. Will the old boys return, like Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Loyola. It has to begin with Government letting go. Returning the management of the school to its original owners will aid the process of getting the old boys to live the pledge in their anthem Loyola Loyola the Best in Everyway Loyola Loyola will always win the day We are students from a college that is in Ibadan town And we have promised not to Let that College down. It stands for truth and Knowledge And it stands for wisdom Too……… A promise not to let the College down and a promise to match in truth must be a promise to arise, go forward and rebuild the walls of Loyola College so that another generation can enjoy the disciplined, quality education we got back then. It used to be tradition that families who sent children to schools with great tradition ensured generations stayed faithful. In our time we had the Etomis, Runsewes, Ogunlesis, Adetibas across generations. But how many of us have had our children return. My own children turned to the new Loyola built in Abuja by the Jesuits. But our grandchildren can return if the government collaborates with the Catholic Church and the old boys for a Loyola restoration project. I hope my dear friend, the Governor of Oyo State would do the needful to put us old boys on the spot to make that happen. I assure him the legacy effect will be bigger because a predecessor, Lam Adesina, a Loyola old boy, failed on that score. I had expected he would do what an old boy of my other Secondary School CKC Onitsha, did, Peter Obi set CKC on a sure path of restoration with the policies of his tenure. At a time when education is the simple biggest competitive advantage of nations, it should be the top priority of political leaders to find the magic the Jesuits have worked these last 400 years. It seems to me that a good place to start is making the tribute the SMAs offered to that Jesuit founder, St Ignatius of Loyola Whose feast day we celebrated with relish on the 31st of July every year in those wonderful days when Ibadan was the largest city in West Africa and those of us who came from that coastal capital of Lagos proud to return to Lagos on holidays from a true centre of culture, Ibadan. PU Very often many lament the Nigerian condition but are at loss about what they can do to change things beyond lamentations and blaming others. Pursuing the redemption of our school system is one sure area all can do their bit. Starting from our old school is a sure bet. If every Nigerian who got a decent education can commit a certain number of hours and a certain percentage of income to their old schools to get the infrastructure, environment and equipment of study right and even spending time as group tutors and even as additional teaching hands, the school redemption process will be on the way. In one of my social projects I get a multinational that has top engineers with strong physics and mathematics backgrounds to volunteer just two hours of those people to help out in the school close by. Given current teacher quality you can imagine the difference. Old boys can do same and do it with more passion. For Loyolans that would be one way to be the best in every way. Pu
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 07:59:20 +0000
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