Old students of Imade College, Owo, Ondo State, have invested more than ?200 million in infrastructure projects at the school, but lamented a shortage of teaching staff and other challenges affecting its operations.
The projects, executed as part of activities marking the institution’s 80th anniversary, included classrooms, laboratories, accommodation facilities, three-bedroom flats and public toilets.
Chairman of the anniversary planning committee, Yinka Akinola, said individuals and different sets of alumni undertook about 10 projects to improve the learning environment.
Akinola, who left the school in 1971, when it had about 300 students, said the growing student population, had increased pressure on existing facilities, despite improvements, including the provision of computer laboratories.
He identified inadequate teaching staff as the college’s major challenge, saying the alumni had been forced to divert funds meant for infrastructure development to employing temporary teachers. According to him, the association spent about ?11 million this year to engage ad hoc teachers and pay the salaries of more than 20 staff members.
Akinola named the worldwide president of the Imade College Owo Old Students Association (IMACOSA), Ambassador Godson Echegile, as a major contributor, disclosing that he had spent over ?100 million on projects at the school this year.
He appealed to the government to recruit more teachers to ease the alumni’s financial burden.
Also, IMACOSA worldwide vice president, Felix Ajibade, said the association had employed 29 ad-hoc teachers at ?70,000 salary each monthly to prevent the shortage from affecting students’ academic performance.
Ajibade urged the government to provide more teachers, drivers and security personnel, noting that the school had three vehicles, but no drivers.
He added that teachers had been burdened with additional responsibilities, while the size of the premises required adequate security during the day and at night.
He appealed to financially capable alumni to support the institution, stressing that even modest contributions could make a difference.
Responding, Chairman, Ondo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Dr Oluwadayisi Oke, acknowledged the need for more teachers in public schools but said the government was addressing the shortage through recruitment.
She said Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had prioritised education through improved teachers’ welfare, timely salary payments, training and retraining programmes, and attention to pensioners, expressing optimism that better working conditions would attract more young people to the profession.