A tale of two model colleges

Founded on same basic principle, mission and vision, Taiwo Alimi & Medinat Kanabe, examine, why two Lagos State model colleges  contrast so sharply in facilities and modus operandi

The crammed dormitory will shock, even, regular visitors. Thirty-six bunk beds in three lines stare back at you on entering the 40’X25′ bedsitter.

The long spaces between the beds are tiny, presumably, for the tiny feet of students of Lagos State Model College, Meiran, who, daily set out and return to their equally tiny spaces to lay down their heads, after a tough day at this seat of learning.

Meiran is a bubbling community off Abule Egba, in the massive Alimosho Local Government (LG), and the school is one of 15 Lagos State Model Colleges scattered all over its LGs and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

The vision statement at birth, as contained in the Model College handbook reads: ‘To be the first and the best school in Nigeria.’

Back to the hostel, for an adult to move from one end to the other, he or she has to meander, twist, turn and bend at the same time, to go through the maze of beds.

Two dirty looking ceiling fans hang in position to provide a cooling effect for 72 students, whose lives seemingly hang in the balance, given the apologetic facilities in one of the foremost Lagos State secondary schools.

Many of the bunks have lost its crusted black paints, to reveal a dark brown mix of eroding coat and iron. Prying eyes can, however, fish out some newly coated and shining bunks tucked in between the worn-out pens.

It is a luxury here, for students, to have their cupboards by their beds, near them. All cupboards are scattered along the corridor at the mercy of raindrops, dirt, rodents and termites that easily feast on their clothing, books and snacks.

The sleeping hall itself is in need of fresh painting, as the walls could do with good repairs and improvement.

In one of the halls of residence, accommodating Junior Secondary School (JSS) boys, and named after the country’s seat of power, ‘Aso Rock’, the window panes are outdated and window nets are torn in many places. The ceiling shows sign of leakages and in some places, are out rightly broken with gaping holes that may have been like that for God knows how long.

In another hostel, one of the two housing fresh female students, the girls are at the mercy of mosquitoes in the net-less room. The windows are rough, wooden objects that are mostly kept ajar to ventilate the overcrowded room. Yet, the surrounding environment is mostly not weeded and dirty, only suitable for rearing malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Mr Sunday Falade, a parent, whose ward has spent two sessions in the school, openly criticized the poor state of the college, “My son is in JSS 2 and recently moved out of the infamous ‘Aso Rock’ to another. Most of them are jam-packed with about 70 wards in each. Normally, it should take only 40. No more no less.”

Mrs Toke Gafaru, whose daughter joined the college in 2013, was theatric in her assessment. She rolled her eyes and shook her head simultaneously, before saying: “Whenever my daughter is home on vacation, we hear different stories about her school. In her first year, they had to take their bath in the open space, every morning. The condition of these hostels is even better now. It used to be worse than what we have now.”

BATHROOMS

In the area of convenience, not much has changed. While a big open court is available in all the hostels for students to wash their stuffs; from plates, clothes, beddings, and fetch fresh water, bathrooms are in short supply.

Freshman Oluwatobi, 11, revealed that they were usually buzzed out of bed at 5.30 a.m. and crammed into the two available bathrooms. “There is nothing like privacy here. We are marched into the bathrooms in multiples, and take our bath together, before heading back to the dormitory to dress up for school. We must be out of the hostel by 6.30 a.m. before the dormitory is locked up.”

Coming from a family of four, where he has a room to himself, Oluwatobi, added that it took him some time getting used to this new system and abode. “Even if you want to do things differently, you really do not have a choice because my father says I have to endure, that, it is part of learning.”

COMMON ROOM

If you expect little Oluwatobi, to get any respite outside the dormitory, you might be expecting too much.

Visits to other facilities in the college are not soul lifting or inspiring. Each classroom is about 30′ X 30′ in size and accommodates an average of 70 students. We counted 27 desks with attached benches and each desk sits three students forced into a space meant for half the number. In an ideal world, each of the desks ought to sit two, but one more is squeezed in to accommodate the over-bloated intake.

In bewilderment, we asked the next student we could find, “How do you get to do examinations in this condition?” The reply came without hesitation. As if it was the most natural thing to do. “We do our exams, we are used to it,” then she shrugged her shoulder, as if to ask, ‘What’s the big deal?’

The common room, situated at the centre of the school, is large and also, serves as the dining room for students. The hall has seen better days with long, low benches and makeshift dining tables, taking the greater part of the massive space. A big flat-screen television is eye-catching on the wall, two broken down water dispensers’ litter a side and a portable loudspeaker sits on one of the tables.

Ostensibly, Oluwatobi is addicted to television at home, so he was quick to offer answers to our queries on valuable services this desultory hall could offer the wards. “The television is not useful to us because we are not allowed to watch entertaining programmes. There is another television room not far from here (pointing towards the school gate) which was built and donated to the school by one of the leading digital cable stations in the country, but it is a no-go area for us. Only staff members are allowed in.”

The dispensers don’t work too. “This is my second year here, I’ve  not taken water from those dispensers,” Oluwatobi added.

Ironically, the mission statement, behind setting up of model colleges, is boldly printed in corners and crannies of the school, that is: ‘To produce excellent and dynamic future leaders of the country.’

TUITION FREE

Though, the 15 model colleges in Lagos state are designed to be tuition free and cater for the underprivileged in the society, through the provision of government subsidized educational materials, boarding and books, the school leadership regularly demands for cleaning apparatus, toiletries, educational materials, exercise and text books from all the students.

Mrs Tinuke Ige, mother to a Senior Secondary School (SSS) student, said his son comes home at holidays with a long list of compulsory items on resumption.”His re-admittance is dependent on the provision of these items; air freshener, insecticide, disinfectant, plates, spoons, hangers and pegs, mosquito net, toilet rolls, cupboard, mirror, exercise and text books.”

Explaining further, she noted that text books that are available in the school are torn and worn out. “Parents are basically paying for these things. In actual fact the only fee we don’t pay is tuition. We also have to pay N25, 000.00 each term for boarding, which goes with three-square meals.”

FOOD

In Meiran Model College, the management has a workable solution to feeding the large number of students. They are grouped according to their classes at the dining table, but at the mercy and caprices of senior students who are in charge of serving. Junior students bear the brunt of this shortfall, as they go with little food while the seniors fill up their plates and those of their acquaintances.

Another JSS female student, Oluwatoni said, though the foods are well cooked and tasty, “they are inadequate.”The seniors at the serving point will give us little potion and fill up their own plates.” They usually wait for the juniors to leave the table before feeding fat on their ‘loot’.

Oluwatoni’s mother, Mrs Pauline Taiwo, picked up the story from here, embellishing it. “You need to see my daughter when she came home for the first-term holiday. She had dropped weight drastically and looked rail-thin. She complained bitterly about the small portion of food she had to endure while going through the strenuous school work. “We had to fill her bag with snacks to complement her feeding when she was going back for second term”

OVERBLOTTED ADMISSION

A high-ranking administrative officer in the college, who likes to be anonymous, told The Nation, that the school’s facilities are stressed beyond limits. “There are too many children for the limited resources of the school. We cannot handle the huge figure that is admitted every year. About 500 students got admission this session alone and the classrooms and dormitories are few.”

He added that they have to deal with many lists during admission. “There are lists from top government people, from heads of the schools and their friends and family members (tagged as ‘friends of the house’), as well as those who pass our entrance examinations.”

The Nation’s investigation into their latest admission, revealed a first batch list of 300. These are pupils that scored over 60 per-cents in the entrance examination and were duly offered admission. This was closely followed by a second batch list of 100, made up of children of ‘friends of the house’, who though, sat for the exams, did not do so well.

More lists of names would follow, even after the school had taken off, coming from top government officials. Our source noted, “It is not uncommon for ‘special lists’ to come in a week or two after school activity has commenced. That is why we sometime readjust the dormitories to accommodate more students on these special lists.” ‘Special list’ is, in actual fact, admission through the back door.

However, as far as the Lagos State Education Board is concerned, there is no provision for clandestine lists on its admission procedure for the 15 Model Colleges in its domain.

According to its website, “The only means through which you can get your child/ward admitted into any of the Model Colleges in Lagos State is through the yearly Screening Test organised by the State’s Exanimations Board. It is very important to note that transfer of students from other Model Colleges, private or public schools into these Colleges are no longer possible.”

THUMBS UP

It is however, not thumps down all the way, for Meiran Model College. They have great electricity and water systems.

In a brilliant stroke, the Lagos State Government, in 2015, commissioned the Solar Energy Power Project that has kept power on for 24 hours. The hostels, classrooms, dining rooms, libraries and surroundings of the school are lighted up, day and night, to keep up the morale of the students.

Oluwatoni is especially proud of this and would tell whoever cares to listen that they don’t shout ‘Up NEPA’ (A local acronym chanted whenever Nigeria power authority decides to give electricity), in their school.

In terms of water, The Nation counted four visible boreholes servicing the hostels. “We don’t have water issue because there are retentive tanks in all the dormitories and there is water in them 24/7,” Oluwatobi said smiling.

MODEL IN NAME ONLY

While Meiran Model College, can be described as ‘a model in name only’, at the extreme end of the state, is another model college that is rightly, a model of all round education.

Located in Owode Apa road, Kankon Badagry-West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), five minutes drive to the Republic of Benin and 40 minutes drive from the popular Badagry round about is Kankon Model College. Founded in 1988, it is surrounded by small towns and villages like Kese, Irosu, Igbogbele, Gedu, Seje, Kweme, Dado, Wesere and others.

Tucked away in a secluded, quiet ambience of tourists’ destination, it is mainly boarding and has dedicated dormitories for all classes of students like Meiran Model College. But, unlike the former, these places are cleaner and more organised.

Though, riding to the school is not enjoyable because of the bad road that leads to it from Owode Apa, what consoles you is the beautiful look of the school from the outside that keeps one longing for what lies beyond. The school buildings are exquisitely painted, in and out, right to the school fence.

When The Nation visited the school in the middle of January, many students were just resuming for the second term academic calendar. It was an opportunity to enter the school unnoticed to see the other face of the school. The one the authority would not like to talk about.

The gate leading into Kankon College is spick and span. The sandy pathway is breathtakingly clean, leading to school buildings that have seen lots of caring caretakers.

The classrooms have a resemblance of organisation that transforms into excellent learning methods and helpful  environment of learning. The blocks of classrooms are decently painted to make one give them another look. Similarly, the classrooms have nice-looking benches and desks as well as enough shelves to store learning materials.

Another striking thing about the school is its conformity with the fast paced 21st century technology. Unlike Meiran Model College, it has a functional website where parents can log onto to see results of their wards, as well as other information relating to resumption, fees, school items, prohibited items and behaviours, check in protocols and lots more. Results can be checked easily on www.lsmjck.com using the students sparkle number.

Though, the principal, Mr. S. O. Fadahunsi declined to answer our questions (pleading official protocol), his demeanour, and stately office and school speaks volume.

On our way out, we encountered some of the students, who looked relaxed and radiant in their chequered house wear. ,

Mrs Ebun Ajayi, a parent, who was on her way out, after dropping off her child, said she is comfortable leaving her ward in the public school.

“This is a great place to educate your child. My son has spent three years here and I don’t have any reason to complain. The school has decent hostels, classrooms and good teachers. The foods are not bad, the environments are clean and well taken care of. Though, we have to give him some books, that are not available in the school, you have to admit that the management is doing all it can to make them learn and study in a peaceful and cordial environment.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

Mr Babatunde Akinola, director of Sunshine Schools, a private school located in Ogun State, recommends a clean and quiet environment and hostels for all public schools. ” The undiluted fact is that the important precondition for students’ learning could not be separated from good facilities. Those are supportive elements for successful academic programmes. Specifically, hostel should be home away from home. These poor conditions in any citadel of learning have adverse effects on the students in various ways. Cumulatively, it militates against learning of students. These effects range from academics, moral, social, even spiritual etc.

“Without being verbiage, facilities are required to build affection, value, commitment and positive emotions in learning. Any environment that is devoid of good facilities does not aid positive learning habit. This is prominent to secondary schools as a case study because mental picture of life are built in the lives of people in the early stage. At this stage, whatever loaded is difficult to be unloaded in their lives. As a result, overcrowded hostel condition not only makes it difficult for student to concentrate and think constructively, but inevitably limits the time to study being an outcome of effective distractions.”

 Furthermore, he added, “the character formation is systematically affected in the overcrowded hostel. It can easily build aggressiveness in their lives. In as much they may want to keep their things from been abused or stolen, the opportunity is not given. Some students hinge on overcrowded nature as an avenue to perpetrate evil such as stealing, bullying, disorganized life style among others. As a result of determination to revenge or avenge, some innocent ones are initiated into the wrong attitudes. Nobody knows who is who and it is difficult to pin misconduct down to anybody except for the grace of God. Proper building maintenance and conduciveness are related to attitudes and fewer disciplinary problems.

Health hazard is a close neighbour to other effects in any overcrowded room. Every dormitory is expected to be highly ventilated, airy and properly lit. The beds (though bunk) with shelf, chair and cupboard should be arranged in an organized manner that will even build the sense of organization into the lives of the students. Not only this, the passages should be created in between beds and other items to allow free movement. Operative cooling system should always be made available. Healthy dormitory prevents the students from being infected or exposed to health danger. Findings reveal that air inside public school facilities may significantly affect students’ ability to concentrate. It is evident that youth are more vulnerable than adults to the types of contaminants found in school environment,” added Akinola.

Mrs Taiwo, is also a certified counselor and frowns at overexposure of school children to nudity, either in the bathrooms or hostels. “School children should not have their birth together. It is a capital no for me. It could affect the psychology of these kids and expose them to sexual perversion. It encourages gay tendency, which starts as curiosity to touching and graduates to lesbianism. This is quite rampant among teenage girls, who may be confused during period of adolescence.”

She calls for close monitoring and counseling by house mistresses and certified counselors.

“It is our responsibility as parents, educators, administrators and leaders to educate our children in the best way possible and not expose them to things that would make them glorify sexual pervasiveness and turn our country to gay society when they take over,” added Mrs Taiwo.

First published in The Nation in January