Head Teacher (Administration) Graduation Prize Giving Speech 2023

Head Teacher (Administration) Graduation Prize Giving Speech 2023

• Academics

Your Majesties, your Royal Highnesses, Honourable Judge of Kwara State, Justice Abiodun Ayodele Adebara, Chief (Engr.) Dr. and Dr. (Mrs) Gloria Adewumi, Members of the Board of Trustees, Honoured and Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, Ladies and   Gentlemen and Students of Thomas Adewumi International College, Oko.

It gives me very great pleasure to welcome you all here today and in particular our Guest of Honour, Justice Abiodun Ayodele Adebara.

Honourable Justice Abiodun Ayodele Adebara is a distinguished legal professional who has made significant contributions to the field of law and justice. With a career spanning over several decades, Justice Adebara has earned a reputation for his integrity, expertise and commitment to upholding the rule of law having delivered several landmark judgments that have a lasting impact on the legal landscape. Honourable Justice Adebara was appointed Chief Judge of Kwara State where he serves till date and this appointment is a testament to his legal acumen, ethical conduct and dedication to justice. Thank you for honouring us with your presence. One particular thing that is very special about this man is that he is a lover of good education and he demonstrated this by making all his children pass through TAICO. By the grace of God, they all finished well and doing well. Thank you, sir!

A brainy quote goes thus, ‘’A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. Trials teach us what we are; they dug up the soil, and see what we are made of. There are so many things that life is, and no matter how many breakthroughs, trials will exist and we are going to get through it.’’

Members of the Class of 2023 at the moment are the gems that have gone through various academic tests and are now coming out today shining. I rejoice with you and celebrate you as you have made another landmark in your life journey. Congratulations!

This year, despite the unceasing economic challenges, we are grateful to God that we still have a lot of achievements to showcase and I am glad to report that we are going from strength to strength, still performing excellently well and adding more accolades to the ones we already got.

Our results in the JAMB, IELTS and SAT Examinations this year were outstandingly excellent and one of the best in Nigeria. In the 2023 JAMB Examinations, our students did creditably well with three of the graduating class scoring over 300 in the Examination. The highest score was 310 while the lowest was 172. 

Our students continue to show more and more interest in other International Examinations. These Examinations though not compulsory are very important as they serve as keys that open doors to international opportunities. For the Class of 2023, it was not different. Their performances are commendable. The results for our students who took part this year are 100% success. For IELTS, 9.0 is the highest obtainable and all our students who registered have their results within a band score of 6.0 – 8.0. The highest score was 8.0 and the least was 6.0

The highest obtainable for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, that is SAT, is 1600. In this Examination majority of the students that took part fall within 900 - 1160 with 1310 being the highest score. Well done to all the students and teachers that are involved in these examinations. 

Our results continue to speak for us. Last year 2022, although our results in Cambridge and WAEC may not be as high as that of the previous year, as we had a 90% pass rate as opposed to 98% in the previous year, there were students with straight As in their Cambridge results and 7As, As in their WAEC results. Our pass rate for WAEC was 89%. It is important to note that, unlike many other schools, we neither cheat nor pad our results. TAICO is really the place! Why? This is because we say it the way it is. We focus on total child upbringing – morals and academics. We teach them to know and not just to pass.

Here at TAICO, we have great success stories to tell. Outstanding results, landmark achievements, seasoned and disciplined teachers, a serene environment, small class size, pastoral care and many more are some of the values that set us apart and ahead of other schools around.

I specifically wish to congratulate the following students who have worked hard to place their names in the College’s Hall of Fame.

●   Congratulations to Bolaji-Abdullahi Amir and Gbeworo Oyintariebi who both graduated last year, 2022. They have been recognized by the British Council as the winner of the High Achievement Award in Computer Science and Commerce respectively, having achieved the highest score of 96% and 91% respectively in the subjects in the 2022 Cambridge International Examinations. The award ceremony took place last week, on the 6th of July, at the Civic Center, Lagos.

●   Congratulations to AJISAFE Olamide Karimat having obtained an overall band score of 8.0/9.0 in her IELTS Examination

●  Congratulations to Agbana Oreofeoluwa David having obtained an overall band score of 7.5 in his IELTS Examination 

● Congratulations to AJISAFE Olamide Karimat having obtained an overall band score of 1310/1600 in her SAT Examination

● Congratulations to Obafemi Erinayooluwa having obtained overall band score of 1130/1600 in his SAT Examination

Finally, congratulations to Elelu Dharajat and Adegor Oghenetegiri who teamed up to come second at the debate organized by the Indabax Nigeria 2023 Conference held last month at Thomas Adewumi University, Oko.

Congratulations to you all. Can we please give them a big round of applause? Well done! 

Despite all these achievements, at TAICO we see ourselves as yet to arrive and so daily we are constantly in pursuit of more aspirations. About seven weeks ago, our team was in Dakar, Senegal to take part in the 16th International Conference & Exhibition on ICT for Education. The implication of this is that TAICO is trying to peep into the future so that it could future into the picture of education the world is trying to paint for the future.

With the introduction of ICT in education, specifically the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the teaching and learning processes, education can never remain the same. Teaching and learning will become more robust, learning will be fun and knowledge will increase. There will be more quality teaching, but more loss of jobs as a lot would have to be done through the use of AI modules and other learning facilities. Really, ‘Education is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’ I encourage you to enrol your child at Thomas Adewumi International College so that we can together prepare for the future of our dreams.

As we bring the session to a close today, there are many people to appreciate as a result of their contributions in the session. The PTA has played a vital role in the life of the College and we are saying a big thank you to the Chairperson Mrs Femi-Joseph and to those parents who are on the PTA Executive for the work they are doing. You are highly appreciated.

Thank you to the members of the Senior Administrative Team for your hard work and support. Thank you to the members of the teaching and non-teaching staff for the enormous contributions you always make to ensure success. You are highly appreciated.

Thank you to the outgoing Prefects for your work over the last year and to the Graduating Class of 2023 for your various contributions towards the development of TAICO community. 

Today also we want to appreciate and say goodbye to those who were part of the team before now, who have worked with us but have now left the service of the College as a result of one reason or the other.

I want to specially appreciate the Founders of the College, Chief (Dr) and Dr.(Mrs.) Adewumi, for their strong and wise counsel and support over the last year. Thank you for always standing by us to ensure the smooth running of the College. Your personal kindness and support to us as management is highly appreciated. Thank you!

Class of 2023, I say congratulations to you for making it. I need to quickly remind you that you have now reached the end of your Secondary School education and ready to enter a very different world outside of the walls of TAICO. Before now we used to tell you to think outside the box, fortunately, you are now about to go outside the box. Please live wisely outside the box as your life outside this box will always make people make reference to your previous box. You are the 21st Class that we have graduated and this is the last time we shall address you together as our students. We have tried all in our power to ensure that you are equipped to face the tasks that lie ahead of you. I would remind you for the last time that it is ONLY through dedication, hard work and focus that one can make it in life.
You have been given the skills to go out and lead. The values you have learned here, together as a Class, will continue to enrich your lives please develop them.

 Many of you have always thought that the grass is always greener on the outside. I was once like that too, but you will soon understand that the only thing that makes grass always green anywhere is hard work. I can assure you that you will not appreciate this place and what has been instilled in you until you have left here. May you always find peace, progress and greener pastures as you begin your journey into the future.

Congratulations on your Graduation and I wish you every success in the future. I hope that you will always remember your alma mater, TAICO, with affection. Come back and visit us soon, for you will always be welcome. We are proud of you all.

To everyone, I take this opportunity to wish you a very safe and relaxing holiday and to the rest of our students, your own day will soon come. I look forward to seeing you again at the beginning of the next academic session on Saturday, the 16th of September, 2023.

Once again we would like to appreciate every one of you who has made it to this epoch-making event. Thank you! Happy Holidays to you all and stay safe!

     

Dr. Omopariola, O.A 

(Head Teacher, Administration)