The worth of the educational system in any country is its ability to produce quality output, that is, students that can contribute meaningfully to the development of its society. Consequently, it is trite to say that quality assurance should be of essence at all level of a nation’s educational system, particularly, at the secondary school level, if it wants the best human capital development that will propel it to greatness.
It is in response to the foregoing and in order to have quality education in secondary schools in Nigeria that the federal government decided to establish the National Senior Secondary Education Commission, a commission that has come out with minimum standards for both existing and intending secondary schools in the country. Not only this. State governments too have put in place agencies to monitor, supervise, inspect, and ensure quality education at secondary schools under their Jurisdictions.
However, in spite of all these efforts on the part of government to ensure that quality education is delivered at the secondary school level, it is something of regret today that the standard of education at that level has still continued to witness a decline in the country, eliciting concerns in many quarters in the country. The reason for this is not far-fetched. There are too many mushroom secondary schools around today.
Nevertheless, the cheering news is that though many substandard schools exist, there are equally some schools that are top notch which are epitomes of academic excellence. These schools have firmly established themselves as one of the best for parents who want nothing but the best for their kids. And because the learning facilities, teaching standard, and school environment are of word class standard, it has been a no-brainer that they have a consistent history of all-round academic excellence in both local and international exams like WAEC, JAMB, NECO, IGCSE and others as their students always come out tops in these exams. Besides, in both local and international competitions too, their students are always winning laurels.
In this special report, The Guardian showcases the milestones so far achieved by a few of such high profile secondary schools in Nigeria. The row call include: Nobelhouse College; Starfield Schools; Kith & Kin International College; Loyola Jesuit International College; and Thomas Adewunmi International College.
Rita Alagboso, Principal, Nobelhouse College
NOBELHOUSE COLLEGE: Aiming To Produce Future Nobel Laureates In Various Fields Of Human Endeavour
Nobelhouse College is a not-for-profit secondary day and boarding school with modern facilities located at Obasanjo Hilltop Estate, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Founded by Chief Olatunde Abudu, OFR, in 2010, the school is on a mission to develop a new generation of world class influencers who will bring about positive and lasting change to the world – a generation of leaders who will render and identify with global issues and be able to apply creative and critical thinking skills to solve real life problems
According to Nobelhouse College’s Principal, Mrs. Rita Alagboso, the name of the school came about from the recognition of the immeasurable contributions of the reputable Nobel Foundation in the encouragement of quality education and commitment to world peace, and to show the school’s commitment to producing future Nobel Laureates in various fields of honest human endeavor. Flowing from this, the school is synonymous with academic excellence and discipline, the reason why it is home to students from diverse cultures and nationalities.
Alagboso informed that the College’s ethos is encapsulated in six distinctive precepts captured in the acronym IDEALS. This, she expatiated as Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership, Service.
Explaining what Internationalism means, she said students are required to see themselves as global citizens while Democracy means that freedom of thought and speech is encouraged in the school. By Environment, students are taught the importance of tending to the future planet and are expected to demonstrate an active interest and concern for natural environment. Furthermore, while Adventure encourages students to participate in outward–bound type of activities, Leadership means opportunities for student’s leadership in school community are actively provided adding. On Service, students are trained to render selfless service within their capacity in emergency situations.
On the school’s syllabus, Alagboso affirmed that Nobelhouse College offers combinations of subjects based on both the British and Nigerian curriculum. In her words, “Our students graduate sitting International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), consisting of eight subjects and or West African Secondary School Certificate Exams (WASSCE), consisting of nine subjects.
In addition to these major exams, she revealed that the school equally offers a hybrid programme designed to meet diverse needs of students. These programmes include the A Levels, International English Language Testing Systems, IELTS; Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEFL; SAT; JAMB and UTME.
On their performances in the aforementioned exams, she declared that they have consistently achieved 100% C-A* average in more than 95% of subjects in Cambridge IGSCE exams. She stressed further that their students have consistently scored up to 1400 in SAT exams
On what makes the school stands out, she Alagboso maintained that “the priority is on a safe and nurturing environment with zero-tolerance policy on drugs and bullying. We are dedicated to fostering a culture of respect, support and excellence in education, ensuring that every child can learn and thrive without fear or harm.
The major take away for any child that has attended Nobelhouse College, is the quality foundational life skills to forge ahead in their future endeavours. Concerning future projections, we hope to see the school flourish and expand to about 950 students in the next five years with a teacher-student ratio of 1:18.”
Juliana Eigbe, Head of Schools, Starfield Schools
STARFIELD COLLEGE: The Star Within Secondary Schools In Lagos
Built on the foundation of hard work, integrity, pursuit of excellence, friendliness, quality learning, and selfless service to the community, the vision of Starfield College since inception in 1998 has always been to be the best.
According to the Director of Studies, Mr. Chris Eigbe – a trained teacher with several years of experience, ‘’This vision has fostered a spirit of dedication and great passion for guiding our students to academic excellence and for mentoring them to develop the right behaviour that would make them appropriate for any social gathering.’’
He stressed that students in the school are exposed to various subjects in the arts, science, commercial and technical areas adding that there are well equipped laboratories and workshops for science and technical subjects. Other facilities that the school possesses include an Art studio, ICT rooms, Music studio, Home Economics/Catering craft laboratory, Technical drawing room, Counseling room and Library.
He hinted that the school enrolls students for WAEC, NECO, JAMB and BECE exams and the results have always been stellar with students coming out with 9As, 8As, 7As in SSCE and distinction and credit in BECE. In addition, there have been no year some of their students did not score 300 and above in JAMB, he further stated.
Eigbe stressed that students of the school have won many awards in some landmark competitions in the past. These include the overall best in the 2014 National JETS competition organized by the Department of Technology and Science Education of the Federal Ministry of Education; first position in the Inter-School Debate organized by the Center for Black African Art and Civilization in 2010 as well as the Gamaliel Onosode Award for Academic Excellence won in 2018 and 2019.
He enjoined parents to make Starfield College the first choice for their children because of the school’s commitment to imparting high quality education on its pupils. On the future aspirations, he noted that ‘’I see the school in the nearest future becoming a science school and center of AI producing students that will be able to compete with any other student in any part of the world.’’
Chief Kaoli Olusanya, Chief Learning Officer, Kith & Kin International College
KITH AND KIN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE: Polishing Pupils’ Strengths, Propelling Them To Excellence
A foremost educational establishment located at Owode-Ibeshe, Ikorodu, Lagos State, Kith and Kin International College, KKIC, is an offshoot of the Kith and Kin Educational Schools which was founded in 1997 by Chief Kaoli Olusanya, an educationist par excellence and facilitator of success, and his wife, Chief Mrs. Kemi Olusanya, a woman of immense knowledge and skill in the educational field.
A man with a passion for education and a honest, compassionate but firm personality, Chief Kaoli Olusanya is today the Chief Learning Officer of the group of schools which encompasses the Kith and Kin Montessori School, Kith and Kin Nursery/Primary School, Kith and Kin Academy as well as the Kith and Kin International College.
According to him, Kith and Kin International College was established in 2001 and is a co-educational boarding and day school adding that since inception, it has enrolled students within and beyond Ikorodu and overseas. He said the school works on the belief that every child has value to add to the society, and so, their unique strengths are identified by them and polished so that they can excel in this area of strength. He informed that this is the reason why their logo is a palm tree explaining that the palm tree has about 65 products that can be gotten from it, hence its resourcefulness. This is where the motto of the school: ‘’Be Resourceful’’ is derived from, he says.
Olusanya who read Agriculture at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) decades ago but has become a success in the field of education emphasized that his calling is in education and that immediately he discovered this, he did not waste time in switching jobs from the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture to lecturership at the then Lagos State College of Science & Technology (LACOST), which later changed name to Lagos State Polytechnic. This was where a career in education which has flourished till today started. And to be well grounded in teaching, he had to later proceed overseas to obtain a Post Graduate Diploma in Education. Before then, he had already acquired a Masters in Economics also at Unife.
“Education is my passion”, noted Olusanya. “In every home I lived, my blackboard is always more conspicuous than my television set. Education is a process that helps to develop the human mind and this development is the best thing one can offer to humanity. This is why I am devoted to education. It is the best way to get people out of poverty.”
Flowing from this belief, Olusanya has always shown compassion to indigent pupils in his schools by giving them free education and these children have often grown to be useful citizens to society. Speaking about KKIC, he said “ Our pedagogy at Kith and Kin International College is focused on using the best practices such as experiential learning, collaborative learning, project work and critical thinking to unleash the potential of each child. Students are exposed to array of opportunities and stimulating learning environment that prompts them to develop interest in areas that can be nurtured to self-fulfillment.”
Speaking on the school’s ethos, he enthused that these include striving ceaselessly to create a learning institution where pupils are not the only learners but also the non-teaching staff; striving to be creative and be a centre of innovation where events are carried out as well as new styles without being tied to stereotypes and routines; to adapt the individualized and not the institutionalized method of teaching recognizing the uniqueness of each pupil and student and doing all that is possible to support individual intelligence.
The various subjects that students are exposed to, according to him, are classified under 3 departments for the senior classes. These are Science and Technology department, Humanities department and Business department. And for the junior students, it is 18 subjects. He further revealed that the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, B.ED/B.Sc, PGDE, are the prerequisites for teaching in the school even as each teacher must exhibit expertise in his subject.
On facilities available, he said: “Our facilities are top notch. The classrooms are well furnished with standard chairs. All the classrooms are with 55 inches smart televisions to aid teaching and learning. Our teachers are sent on trainings from time to time. We have subjects- based science laboratories of high standard and a fixed projector. The school billings and the results is through the school portal which makes it possible for our parents to access from anywhere in the world. In addition, there is a standard and well equipped library which can accommodate 150 students at once.”
On the exams students are enrolled for, he listed them as BECE, WAEC, A Levels, IGCSE, SAT and TOEFL. He hinted that their students have been known for excellent performances in these exams over the years saying that in the 2021 WAEC exams students had 126 As, 143 Bs and 99 Cs and for the 2022 exam it was 110 As, 211 Bs and 82 Cs. For the 2023 JAMB exam, 8 of their students scored above 300, he added.
And as for performances in local and international competitions, Olusanya maintained that this had been heartwarming too. He said they won Best Market Viable Tech Solution Award in the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, SAGE Competition in 2021. Also, they were the 1st and 2nd Runner Up in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship National Competition in 2016; the 1st position in the IT Champs organized by the Nigeria Computer Society Lagos Chapter in both 2022 and 2023.
The acclaimed educationist declared that any child that is privileged to have passed through the school will take away education with character . For the future, he says his dream is to establish Kith and Kin Teachers Training Academy and to get the schools affiliated with reputable educational institutions both locally and foreign.
Fr. Chikere Ugwuanyi, Principal, Loyola Jesuit International College
Why Loyola Jesuit College’s committed to faith formation, moral rectitude, academic excellence, by Fr Ugwuanyi
Loyola Jesuit College’s Historical Background
Loyola Jesuit College started 28years ago. It is a work of the Jesuits of North West Africa Province of the Society of Jesus. Jesuits have been running schools for over 470 years with over 1000 renowned schools around the world. Loyola is one of the five Jesuit owned or managed schools in Nigeria. It is of note that philosophy of education used in Loyola revolved around the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola who found a good way that one can discern, make good decisions in life, and prosper by searching for the will of God. This means that Loyola aims not just at excelling in subject related in instructions, but rather on human excellence.
Ethos
Loyola Jesuit College’s ethos is captured in the School’s Motto: “Service of God and Others”. We desire that alumni thrive through service. In other word, that their lives are mission-driven. We reinforce the ethos through various activities like the Kairos retreat, Service Programme, Leadership Training Programmes and various Internships.
Subjects and State-of-the-Art Facilities
Loyola Jesuit is actually a beautiful lush-green compound. The layout of the compound and the school plants are educative in themselves. We offer 21 Subjects that encompass the requirements for Nigeria education system and the foreign ones that many of our students go to. We are very strong in sciences.
Loyola Jesuit College Students’ Performances In Competitive Exams
We write seven foreign examinations and all the terminal examinations of the country. In 2022, we were the best in JAMB. We have also recorded great feats in many national bests and awards. Our records in WAEC, NECO, Olympiad, Cowbellpedia are open to all to see. We hardly talk about them though because that is not the focus of the school.
Why Loyola Jesuit College’s the School of First Choice Parents/Students
The parents are better respondents to this question. However, in truth, Loyola is a merit based school. Therefore, parents pride themselves that their child entered Loyola on merit. There was a story of a parent who made his child go through the whole process just to get the Admission Letter. He said that initially, he intended to frame it as a sign that the child is intelligent, but he never planned to send the child to a Nigerian secondary school because of other reasons. Many parents love the fact that Loyola has managed to maintain a balance between academic excellence, moral rectitude and faith formation. We have students who are Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindu. The faith formation of all is vital.
The Loyola Jesuit College’s Legacy and Take-Away for Every Student
The alumni of Loyola Jesuit College are in prominent sectors of economy and in different places in the world. Their life style and choices will be the takeaway from the School. So, look at how they live and what they do. Be that as it may, we believe that acquiring the capacity to discern will stand out as the major takeaway of passing through Loyola. Good decision making and equanimity in choices would stand out.
Fallen Standard Of Education In Nigeria: Advice To Government On Secondary School Education
This claim abounds. But I have not yet seen a longitudinal data showing what this really means. Therefore, pundits can make claims. Nevertheless, such claims are for a different sphere of life. I think that data, real data, should speak. This said, I think government has a lot on its plate. All sectors desire that government should be the bulk investor. I think that if government takes one sector of the life of its citizens and makes it the leitmotiv for development that may give greater outcome and better impact. For example, the government can decide, after due diligence, to focus on education and use it to drive the rest of the life of the country, or infrastructures, roads, or sports, or water, or whatever. I think that the major problem is investing in a haphazard way in different sectors and the outcome is limited or not sustained to transform anything.
Future Projections for Loyola Jesuit College
Future? Who knows? Anyways, Loyola is committed to maintaining quality education and paying close attention to the Nigerian Policy on Education and relevant guidelines for best practices in education and human development.
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