The Gbongan/Odeomu Anglican Grammar School alumni 1985 set and other stakeholders in the education sector, have raised concern over the falling standard of secondary school system in the country.

This was stated on Saturday during the celebration of the 40th reunion of the group held at the school premises in Gbongan, Osun State.

The group expressed concern that the country’s secondary school system is deteriorating at a pace that demands urgent attention.

The event was attended by alumni members, school officials, government’s representatives and community leaders.

In her address, Executive Secretary of the Osun State Senior Secondary Education Board, Mrs. Ibidunni Kolawole, said the reunion offered a rare opportunity to confront the reality of Nigeria’s failing school structures.

“We cannot continue pretending that all is well. If we want a stronger nation, then institutions like this must be rebuilt, and re-equipped for the future,” she said.

Kolawole applauded the school’s legacy, recalling its reputation for academic excellence and discipline, warning that legacy alone cannot sustain the next generation.

“This school has produced men and women of remarkable impact, but for it to remain a place of transformation, we must match history with investment and innovation,” she added.

She commended the old students’ association for the intervention where government support has been inadequate through projects, including renovation of classrooms, drilling boreholes, among others.

Also speaking, vice chairman of the school’s Governing Board, Femi Yusuf, said his position has exposed him to the challenges faced by the school.

He revealed that the 1985 set has routinely supported students by paying examination fees, funding extra classes and recruitment of teachers for subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English.

The planning committee chairman, Pastor Wale Adeleke, described the reunion as fulfilling but emotionally overwhelming.

Adeleke, however, called for a national structure of alumni support as the school approaches its 70th anniversary.

Another member of the set, Pastor Funsho Popoola, said the reunion opened old memories of a time when the school commanded respect among the Aionian group. (Nigerian Tribune)