Date: 2017-06-04

The issue generating controversy in many fora is whether the standard of education in Nigeria has fallen or not.

Why many are of the opinion that the standard of education has fallen, a very few draw the distinction between standard and quality of education and posited that the standard indeed is not fallen, but the quality. Among those who argue that the standard has not fallen is a former Attorney General of Kwara State and former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Saka Isau (SAN).

Speaking during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Government High School Ilorin, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the creation of Kwara State, Isau said: "Honestly I do not agree that the standard of education has dropped."

As an Old Student of Government High School Ilorin, he argued that the standard has not dropped, adding that the problem was with the individual students that are not putting effort like they should've. He said: "The academic qualifications school teachers have now, we didn't have it in those days. For example, if you go to Government High School, they have graduates who are teachers and we never had that privilege during our time.

"Most of our teachers then were secondary school leavers who were probably writing A'levels and seeking admission to University." Talking to other old students of Government High School Ilorin, formerly Ilorin College before Kwara State Government took it over, he said, at that time in the whole area of the North-Central, GHSI was the first secondary school. Recalling the labour and commitments of Alhaji Abdulganiyu Abdul-Razaq (SAN), who was the founding father and the first Principal of the school, he said: "He gave some of us who were poor the opportunity to attend secondary school and, today, I was Attorney General and former Secretary to the Government of Kwara State. He is my role model and reason I studied law."

Also speaking, the National President of the ICI/GHS Old Students Association, Alhaji Raji Afolagbe, a former Commissioner for Education and Human Capital in Kwara, said the school had contributed greatly to the educational advancement of Kwara, the North-Central and Ilorin in particular.

He pointed out that the founder, Alhaji Abdul-Razaq, through his generosity and community service, provided great opportunity for many people in the state to have access to quality post-primary education which was not easy to come by then with the establishment of the College in 1967.

According to the National President, the greatest achievement of the school is the quality of the old students who have gone ahead to contribute to the socio-economic development of Nigeria and wherever they sojourn on earth adding that many of the old students flew in from Europe and America to be part of the golden jubilee.

In his own remark, the first registered student of the school on nominal list, who was also the first Senior Prefect and a retired Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Mumini Abdulmalik, noted that the founder of the school inspired him and his generation of students to success.

Meanwhile, in the address delivered by Abdul-Razaq eldest child, Dr. Alimi Abdul-razaq, the founder identified policy inconsistency and lack of political will on the part of governments in Nigeria as major problems facing the educational sector.

The founder said for Nigeria to have quality education, policies must match vision of development for the society. He implored the old students not to relent in contributing to their alma mater.

The Abdul-Razaq family closed the reception for the old students with presentation of recognition awards to many of the distinguished ex-students by the wife of the founder, Alhaja Raliat Abdul-Razaq, who was the first administrator of the school.