Babalakin urges Oyo to hand over Government College to old students

Wale Babalakin, the Chairman, Bi-Courtney Limited, on Sunday urged the Oyo State Government to hand over Government College, Ibadan to its Old Boys Association for proper administration and management.
Babalakin, who is the Chairman of the Lagos State branch of the GCI’s Old Boys Association, made the plea at the 2013 Annual Lunch and Merit Awards ceremony of the school in Lagos.
He expressed the willingness of the old students to take over the administration of the school, including its funding.
“We believe that this step, once taken, would be the harbinger of efforts to restore the past glory of the college,” he said.
Babalakin said that time had come for the society, led by its elite, to refocus its attention on restoring the lost glory of secondary education in the country.
“We have heard of various efforts made by a number of governments to revamp secondary education, none of the efforts has been successful,” he said.
He gave the assurance that GCI’s old boys would continue to strive valiantly to uphold the standards of the college and its ideals, “35 years after the downgrading of many secondary schools.
“The policy of the Oyo State Government in 1979 turned the exclusive territory of Government College, Ibadan to the domain of other secondary schools.
“The near eradication of merit as a criterion for entry into the school was an unpardonable assault on quality education in Nigeria.”
Babalakin said that this partly signalled the collapse of secondary education in the country.
Also speaking, Prof. Oladipupo Akinkugbe said that the event was organised to bring the old students of the college together to deliberate on how to engender the school’s development.
Akinkugbe noted that the school had graduated many prominent personalities in the country.
He said: “I am one of the old students.
“Therefore, we all have to join hands together to upgrade the school and maintain its standard of education.”
Akinkugbe said that the association had intervened in efforts to refurbish and renovate the school.
“The old students will not relent in efforts to ensure the quality education standards of the school,” he said.