Akoka alumni push for full secondary school status

Akoka High School Old Students Association (AHSOSA) has appealed to the Lagos State Government to return the school to a full-fledged secondary school.

The General President of association, Dr Oladele Oyatope made the appeal in a statement in Lagos, on the 45th Anniversary of the alumni association.

Oyatope advocated for the school to be upgraded from a junior secondary school to a full secondary school, covering JSS1 to SS3.

He said that returning it to full-fledged secondary school would ensure further development of the school, through the assistance of the old students.

“We, the old students, attended a full-fledged secondary school and it is awkward for us to say we are old students of a junior school.

“After it was made a junior school, all students who leave to complete their senior school have only identified with where they finished senior secondary school and not Akoka High School.

“So, one appeal particularly to government is the fact that we want this school to return to a full-fledged secondary school, that will start from JS1 and end in SS3 on this ground, not anywhere else.

Oyatope stated that they would meet to explore ways to support the government in achieving the goal and noted that this was their only request to the government and school authority.

“We will gather ourselves together to mobilise resources as much as possible, to see what we can do to improve infrastructure, and, of course, to also support the delivery of education on this ground,” he said.

According to the president, the 45th anniversary celebration would include the distribution of 1,200 branded notebooks and prizes for top students in different subjects.

He added that outstanding teachers would also be rewarded to boost their morale, enabling them to offer their best to the students.

He said that the anniversary celebration was not just a time for reflection, but also for action toward ensuring that the school maintained its relevance and continued to provide quality education.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the association, Mr Henry Akwara revealed that the alumni body was working with the school authority and parents to improve standards.

Akwara said that the collaboration was essential to secure better learning and upbringing for the students.

He assured that the alumni group would continue to support the school with infrastructure, mentorship, and award programmes to encourage academic excellence, even as discussions with the government continues.