Victor EzejaIn its quest to provide quality education in different fields of human endeavour, Ephraim group of schools in Lagos has keyed into the objective of exploiting opportunities of the 21st century digital technology revolution for better all round upbringing of the young ones.
Chairman board of directors of the school, Mr Ranti Okanlawon, in an interview with Prime Business Africa during the 2022 Valedictory service/prize-giving ceremony of the school on Thursday, July 14, stated that the institution which has been in existence for the past 24 years, has the mission of offering a holistic upbringing in an enabling environment for every child to stand out globally.
To achieve their goal, he said the school management is constantly guided by the core values of excellence, innovation, commitment, caring and integrity.
“Our aim is to raise a particular set of new Nigeria citizens that will change the dynamics of this nation. We the old generation, whether we like it or not, we are fading. So, we need to incubate a new set of people with different orientation, and attitude to life, who will come and begin to change the narrative; that’s what we are doing,” Okanlawon stated.
To achieve their set objectives for the school, Mr Okanlawon said that as educationists, he and the proprietor, Mrs Christianah Ayodele Okanlawon, first started with a curriculum design in line with Nigeria policy on education, and over time, blended the British, American and Nigerian standard. He said the school now have a blend of Amington curriculum with Nigerian curriculum. Amington he said, comprises four aspects: Language, science, culture and socials.
“Looking at our products, you can see they are a blend of everything. What is important is when they go out, wherever they find themselves in the whole world, they should be able to compete. Our curriculum is a blend of the developmental process. As the whole world changes, we change. Now is IT (Information Technology), it is here in our school as well. In fact we teach the students robotics, sign writing and other ICT skills.”
In the area of digital skills, the board director of the school, said the students are adequately educated on the use of ICT devices such as computer, tablets and the Internet, among others. He stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic global lockdown, students of the school were receiving lessons at home through their ICT devices and performed very well.
He stated that before the pandemic struck, the schools right from basic to high school level have already been equipped with ICT facilities and the students were already use to them in receiving lessons and also doing their independent studies.
Okanlawon also noted that the school subsidizes the cost of every educational activity, adding that the objective is not to amass profit but to groom a new breed of minds that can change the society for better.
In her address at the 2022 graduation ceremony which held at Welcome Centre Hotel, the Proprietor, Mrs Christianah Ayodele Okanlawon said the goal of the school is to raise people who would manage the nation’s economy, technology and political sectors. The school, she said, is driven by the knack for creativity, resilience and excellence. She added that perseverance and adaptability are some of the traits they instill in their students to enable them succeed in all their endeavours.
Highlighting the nature and scope of the school curriculum, Mrs Okanlawon stated that they explore all areas of human endeavours such as science, arts, business and commerce. In science, she said the school designed its curriculum in line with British standard and Nigeria policy on science education.
She congratulated the 2022 graduating students and also thanked the parents and guests who attended the event.
Speaking at the event as a guest, the publisher of Prime Business Africa, Dr Marcel Mbamalu applauded the achievements of the school looking at their products over time.
Dr Mbamalu who spoke on the theme ‘Sustaining the Moral Pathway’, advised the graduating students to beware of the vices pervading the fabrics of the society today, and see the need to sustain the moral values the school has imparted in them to avoid falling victims of negativities posed by challenges in the world.
He explained that Ephraim means fruitfulness, and being fruitful requires having knowledge of good and evil. He told graduating students that the society is challenged and they needed to be prepared by imbibing and maintaining strong moral values that would help them to navigate the thorny terrains they may encounter in their life journey.
The media entrepreneur made reference to the ASUU strike which clocked five months on that day, and told the students that such is the reality of the Nigerian tertiary education system which they are bound to encounter as they pursue higher education.
He observed that looking at statistics of crime and corruption rate, there is obvious moral decadence, a pointer to the fact that the young ones going into the wider society should be mentally and morally prepared not to be devoured by the raging wolves of immorality and criminality.
The online newspaper publisher and media researcher, citing statistics on crimes especially rape that affect young ones, remarked that moral uprightness is the key to overcoming such dangerous trend in society.
Also citing the figure of Nigeria youth population which is hovering around 33.6 million (about 26.8 per cent of the total population), Mbamalu stressed that if such number of youths were morally upright, then the challenge of criminality and crisis would be reduced.
He urged them to imbibe the virtues of integrity and hard work.
Earlier in her welcome address, principal of the high school, Mrs Adesina K. O. expressed appreciation to the school board, proprietress and staff for their resourcefulness and dogged disposition which have seen the school growing in leaps and bounds in the past two decades.
Highlights of the event included prayer/thanksgiving service for the graduating students, giving of prizes/awards to best performing students in various categories in different classes of the schools; various presentations, such as poems, musical performance, drama, and cultural dances by different classes.
Ephraim Schools has creche, pre-school, elementary and high school.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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