By Kehinde Okeowo
Goldscholars Model Nursery and Primary School, Ijegun Lagos, held a grand reception to mark a decade of developing children from cradle to scholars of repute, as it marked its 10th anniversary on Monday, October 4, 2021.
The celebration, which was held in honour of students, parents, teachers and Management, took place in the premises of the School, 6, Itunu Olamilokun Lane, Ijegun, Alimosho, Lagos State.
Like every successful organisation with a humble beginning, this citadel of learning, which started as a pre-school has grown in stature to become the envy of most of its competitors around the Alimosho local government.
According to the proprietress, who doubles as the Director of School of the institution, Mrs Abimbola Mercy Olamilokun, Goldscholars began with just two students on October 4, 2011, but has since added nursery, primary and college sections, and currently boasts of over 100 students. It also changed its name from Grandscholars Model School to Goldscholars Model School after it was approved by the Lagos State government.
“We ended with 7 students by the end of 2011, but a year later, we have grown to 63 students and today we have over 100 students and this is because, by principle, we have only one arm of each class in the school, meaning we don’t want a large class, so we can manage students efficiently,” Mrs Olamilokun said.
She added that the vision of the institution is to be a model school moulding scholars of repute, while its mission statement is to develop children from the cradle into scholars of repute.
A student of the college section, Ebube Alua, in SS1, who has been in the school for 10 years, applauded the school’s high moral standards.
“I like the teachers, I like the surroundings, and I like the kind of students I am associated with within the school. They teach high morals here, unlike other schools where the students are wayward. Every student here is trained.”
On what makes the school stands out from others, the Head of Schools, Mrs Oluwafisayomi Adeleye, said the values, uniform and crave for excellence are part of what makes the school unique.
“What makes Goldscholars unique around Ijegun and its environs, are the values we imbibe in our students, our uniform is unique, as per excellence, we are also unique because whenever our students go out to compete with or without their teachers, their performance stands out.
“I am so happy the school is 10, I am also happy this happened during my tenure as the Head of School,” she said.
One of the parents, Mrs Lizzy Udoji, who some of her children have been in the school for 9years, was so elated that her children are studying in such a noble school.
She compared her experience in the school with some other schools her children attended in the past and attested that it is a place where they inculcate the right character in children. She also noted that they are security conscious.
” I actually have 4 children here, this is my first and second sons fourth school, which means I have had terrible experiences in other schools. It is also my third son’s second school, while my daughter has been in the school since she was born, she is in college now. I had to stay here because from where I was coming, I had lots of challenges from security, academics, morals, and I could not just cope with them. But when I got here and realized I had peace, I stayed,” Mrs Udoji said.
She added: “Goldscholars is a safe haven, it gives the children what they need to become the right leaders in future, it is a grooming ground for the right character you want to see in your children and it’s safe in terms of security. Their value is top-notch, the educational standard is none to compare with, the environment is what you will always ask for and the attitude of the teachers is commendable. I want to wish Goldscholars, a very glorious 10th year anniversary,” she said.
The Chairman of the governing board of the school, Commodore SEA Olamilokun, explained discipline as the core value of the school and concludes that it is responsible for the progress the school has made in a decade of existence.
In his words: “I am Commodore SEA Olamilokun (Rtd), I am the Chairman of the governing board and the husband of the proprietress of the school.
“From inception, the Management of the school has always put good discipline in place, not just for teachers and other staff, they also encourage the children, who are the learners to be disciplined, that’s why our core value is “DEPID”, Discipline, Excellence, Passion, Integrity and Diligence.
“On this 10th anniversary, I congratulate the Management for a job well done, I’m proud of the staff, I’m very proud of the learners and I congratulate the parents who made Goldscholars a school of choice, we can only hope it gets better and better, that’s why the theme of the anniversary is poised for greatness,” he said.
Since inception, the school has taught a value per week, this implies they have taught about 520 values to students since inception, although some of these values are repeated twice or thrice for emphasis. This teaching strategy has helped to shape the lives of their students who had the honour of passing through the school.
In an age where students graduate from primary 5, the school encourages students to complete 6years in the primary section, and it is Montessori learning-enabled school.
The school has graduated 7 sets of students from primary to secondary and some of them are now in their college section, while some are in other prestigious colleges within and outside the country.
Goldscholars is manned by seasoned educationists of over 3 decades. The Chairman of the board, Commodore SEA Olamilokun (Rtd) is an erstwhile Director of Naval Education.
The Director of School, Mrs Abimbola Olamilokun, has been an educationist for over 38 years, with BSc (Ed) in Chemistry and MEd in Educational Administration from the prestigious UNILAG since 1987.
The learning institution takes pride as one of the duly approved schools by the Lagos State Ministry of Education and has highly qualified teachers. It is one of the schools to be reckoned with within the Ijegun community and Lagos State as a whole.