Education: Fear prevents learning and kills expressions says Private School Proprietor dressed in School Uniform to celebrate students in Nasarawa.
TEC News! 2nd August, 2023. 10.35am.
A Private School Proprietor on Saturday has been seen by TEC News dressed in the School Uniform celebrating the pupils and students of the school in an event of the school in Nasarawa State.
The Proprietor who founded The Royal Kindred Schools, Apst Da-Silva .O. Johnson was in the Schools’ Graduation, Speech and Prize Giving event on Saturday 29th July, 2023 putting on the uniform of the Secondary School Arm, Rulers Intl High School located in Gbugyar, Andaha community of Akwanga Local Government Council, Nasarawa State, to celebrate learners.
The program which has many special invited Guests such as the Chapter Coordinator of National Association of proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) , Akwanga Chapter, Mrs Peace Agu who graced the occasion personally , the BOT Chairman, Prince Haruna, PTA Chairman, Mr Umar and other PTA Executive members including the ‘Wokili’ chieftaincy title bearer of the land, Parents, Guardians, Teachers and Learners witnessed the displayed Intelligence, Skills and Capacity of the learners as they came out to have an ‘hot-seat’ experience with the audience.
One of the most interesting aspect was the displayed confidence of the teachers and learners where they made their wards face the audience and made them asked questions directly from the learners to answer, of which they performed excellently well against the popular cramming style of many Schools.
The learners amused the crowd as they answered questions from Parents and Guests in Spelling Bee, Mathematics, Science, General Papers etc . Audience watched students solved mathematics on the board before everyone and listen to the way the students spelled from Nursery 2- 3, Basic 1 – 5 and the Junior Secondary School as well and even the pre nursery held audience to ransome with their amazing presentations.
As if the excitement was not enough, the Proprietor of the School entered the Hall dressed in uniform of the Secondary Arm while everyone went wild in celebrating the proprietor with laughter, cheers and loud noise of happiness in the air.
TEC News correspondent spoke with the Proprietor in an interview after the event especially to find out why he was dressed in uniform considering his age and status in the society and he has these to say;
“That is one of the reasons I did what I did. Just like I said when giving my short remarks in the event, I wore the School uniform for 3 basic reasons, number one, was to let the student see me as almost the same with them and not keep seeing me as a man very high and up there, no, I brought myself low to their level so they can be freer to relate with me, ask questions or report anomalies freely and without fear. I need just respect from my students and not fear. Fear prevents learning and kills expressions. I want my students to be free to relate with respect and not fear.
Secondly, the attitude of some of our parent can really discourage running of Private School especially the Secondary Arm, and so, our dream need to be sustained and nobody would sustain your dream like you and your God. So, I wore the uniform to show everyone that Rulers Intl High School has come to stay and we are very much ready to pursue our dream with passion.
Thirdly, I wanted the students know that our uniform should be respected by making sure they consider appearing the way I appeared in the event today, clean and neat with my uniform well ironed, my white sucks was on and in my black shoes. I wanted to lead that aspect also by example. You know this particular branch of our Schools is in the north and the attitude is slightly different when it comes to education. We must keep the focus of the interested few on doing the right things in regard to education in Nigeria”.
When TEC News asked about the reason behind his passion, the Proprietor said his vision and his God.
” Two major things have kept us going;our vision and our God. See, this school happened to be the first surviving private school in this community. Before our arrival here in 2007, some schools opened and closed down after a while because they couldn’t sustain operation. We came on board and since then, we remain on board and of cause, making impact. Today, we have other Private Schools around and our little step then has led to massive development in the land. We are not just operating without challenges but we have faced a lot. We struggled to buy our land not because there was no money but the indigenous wouldn’t want to sell, even at the point of paying, they change their minds. That happened couple of times but God sent someone to us where we got this land we have built the school today.
We have equally faced natural disaster such as building collapse of our school and twice before the one we have been able to erect today. In fact, we were discouraged at a point and other competitors leveraged on that to grow their schools but we have recovered from the shock and fully back now. I have also concentrating in Abuja but now so much available here to sustain our vision. I am personally back fully to make things happen in new dimension and in grand style.
Royal Kiddies Academy and Rulers Intl High School are already history making schools but we are ready to do more.
What have been keeping us have been God Almighty and also the vision He (GOD) has laid in our heart”.
He added, “Our vision is to be one of the Best Private Schools in the globe where our pupils and students can compete with their counter parts from any part of this nation and the world at large and I am glad that the community and beyond know us for this. The learners might be prevented form writing their senior WAEC in our School by their parents who might desire miracle centers but I am happy that no time has any of our learners failed our Junior WAEC (BECE). We are pace setters and the evidence is undeniably allover”.
The Proprietor, Da Silva Johnson said this branch of the school has collapsed two times as a result of storm which has prevented the glamourous infrastructural edifice planned but now that senior engineers have corrected the errors made in the past and now have changed the structure position which was formally against the wind, development is now fast in progress.
The proprietor who appreciated his wife, Pst Mrs Esther DaSilva who was the former School Manager before relocating to the Fct and children for their sacrifices rewards about 9 staff who won several prizes such as most understanding and patient staff, best teaching staff, most punctual and available staff, most ethical and disciplined staff while Overall Best Staff of the year 2023 goes to the School Vice Principal Academy, Mrs Rose Godwin, knee- Rose Micah Magaji.
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Da-Silva passionately appreciates members of the public within and outside the community for their support, parents and guardians for their cooperation over the years and their days of struggles.
Mr Ahmed Sani won the best parent in the prompt payment of school fees and other levies, an effort he has maintained over the year.
The event was held in the school Hall to Mark the end of the 2022/2023 Academic Session.
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