Arise and shine, pupils of AMS (Abande Memorial School)

Arise and shine, pupils of AMS (Abande Memorial School)

(Speech by Professor Ike Igbokwe on the occasion of the 4^th graduation ceremony of ABANDE MEMORIAL SCHOOL)

________________________________________________________________________

The honourable Chairman of the occasion,

Distinguished invited guest,

The proprietress and Chairperson of the School Board,

Members of the School Board,

The Head teacher and her Team,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I was startled by the invitation to be a guest speaker on this occasion. I wondered whether I was the most appropriate person. As a University teacher with a long-standing experience, I may understand University teaching and administration, but I am not an expert in preprimary and primary education. I tried to stretch my imagination to encompass what my intellectual reasoning would consider an appropriate topic for me to speak on, but failed until my daughters, who are pupils of AMS were rehearsing in the sitting room some days ago. They called my attention for audience as they matched briskly, up and down, singing: “Arise and shine, and give God the glory, children of AMS”. They were talking to me with golden tongues about my topic today, in a most dramatic way. I got up from my seat to match along with them, to enliven the rehearsal and expand the sense of drama. My action was actually a gesture of gratitude for an insight into a question my brain failed to give a ‘pop-up’ answer.

Today, I speak to you on the topic: “Arise and shine, pupils of AMS”. I am going to attempt to address us on some vital issues which add up in the cocktail required to produce AMS pupils who will usually ‘arise and shine’ on occasions like this. The first place to reach out to in this talk is my heart and the heart of other parents and guardians gathered to witness this ceremony. Our hearts are filled with immense and overflowing gratitude to the proprietress of AMS, the School Board, the head teacher and her team of dedicated, competent teachers and auxiliary staff, who have prepared the grounds for this occasion like this.

When my wife and I chose AMS for our children’s education, it was because the school met certain standards in terms of infrastructure, child care and teaching quality. “A good product sells itself” is a germane proverb to illustrate this point. We are encouraged by what we see and hear about this school. As the AMS pupils ‘arise and shine’ today, they give credence to the glorious path that AMS has envisioned for the children for this generation. The school authority is not resting on its oars in improving infrastructure as we can see in the new buildings being added to accommodate more pupils. The School Board has not failed to ensure that competent teachers and auxiliary staff are employed and paid motivating salaries. This was done without jacking up school fees. Certainly, an aspect of the philanthropic posture of ABANDE family and their cohorts is being witnessed today in these developmental projects of the school.

This school has helped our children to enjoy the learning experience, to gain confidence in themselves, as well as to understand and appreciate healthy relationships across ethnic and religious boundaries. We appreciate the teachers’ roles in loco parentis as they attend to the psychological demands of their pupils, an added responsibility to the academic demands. We accommodate your efforts as you reinforce learning experience by your scolding, reprimands, praises, encouragements and mild punishment of the pupils to influence their behavioural traits. I remember a situation, about two years ago; when my daughter elected to refer a matter I was contesting with her to her teacher. Anytime there was a perceived unkindness from us as parents, she referred us to her teachers’ standards which were high in her perception. It was Auntie Rose, Avala, Betty or some other Auntie or Uncle. The school is an extension of the family, in a sense. So, there is need to build the school like we build the family.

Our pupils are ‘shining’ today because they have learnt many new things about books, reading, singing and playing. They have learnt about neatness, promptness, courtesies, attentiveness and hard work, among others. The cordial relationship between parents and teachers make these learning experiences achieve utmost effectiveness. Thanks to all parents and teachers who co-operated to achieve these onerous objectives.

Although I am yet to see the vision and mission statements of AMS, I believe this school is matching ahead and singing with her pupils: ‘Arise and Shine’, after taking stock. Let the vision and mission of the school be articulated to reflect the broad objectives set by the School. Let them be our standards. Let them influence our choice of AMS for our children.

Finally, I wish to congratulate our children for their successes and I urge them to commit to meaningful vision of the future with AMS as their springboards.

Like I usually tell my children, let the name of the Almighty God be with you always and never fail to call on the only Benefactor of all that live and express life. May the blessings be with us.

Thank you for listening to me.