KING'S College Lagos recently celebrated its 102nd anniversary with a two-day stakeholders' forum where a draft blueprint for the development of the college over the ext 25 years was unveiled.Earlier at a press briefing held in Lagos, the Principal of College Lagos, Mr. Dele Olapeju said the theme of the forum was intended to draw attention to theneedfor a critical evaluation of the role of the college towards the development of the education sector.He said: ' It is very necessary to maintain the heritage of the college and strive to even surpass it. We are embarking on an internal process of assessment, so that we can come out with a blueprint for the development of the college for the next 25 years'.The forum, which also got the support of the Kings College Old Boys Association (KCOBA), The College School Based Management Committee (SBMC) and the Parents teachers Association (PTA), was part ofa week-long activities to mark the 102nd anniversary of the college.Established by an Act of British Parliament on Monday 20th of September 1909, with Mr. Lomax as its first Principal, Olapeju noted that the contributions of the college to the development of Nigeria cannot be relegated to the backgroundPart of the resolutions reached at the end of the forum dealt with the challenge of the school's dilapidation infrastructure and the need for expansion of its physical facilities.The forum also acknowledged that the absence of strategic plans over the years had affected the developmental strides of the College. As the first federal institution in Nigeria, it was proposed that the college should remain a federal property for serving the interest of all, irrespective of class, race or creed.The communiqu also reiterated the need for ensuring the College's global competitiveness and the need to protect the College's goodwill and corporate profile.Chairman of the School Based Management Committee (SBMC) Prof. Akintunde Cole-Onitiri, recommended that government should use King's College as a pilot school for a yearly grant-in-aid of N1.5billion for a five-year experimental phase.'A standing Committee, made up of critical stakeholders should be set up to implement all the recommendations of the Forum. Every staff should be made to undergo at least two weeks intensive training and retraining annually,' he stated.It was also suggested that some heritage colleges, beginning with King's College, should be allowed some measure of autonomy in running their affairs and choosing its developmental strides like the reintroduction of Higher School Certificate, which King's College pioneered in the 1950s.Also, the communiqu advised that: 'The nomenclature and status of the School Based Management Committee should be upgraded to governing Boards, like what obtains in federal tertiary institutions, while management is left to the College Administration'.However, in view of the preeminent position of King's College as a citadel of secondary education in Nigeria, participants noted that special consideration should be given to it in resource allocation and management considerations.It was also agreed that 'there should be periodic evaluation of the implementation of the 25-year plan on short term (5 years); medium term (15 years); and long term 16 years, while sister Unity Colleges in Nigeria should also embrace individual plans, aimed at raising the standard of educational service delivery in all the Unity Colleges'.Efforts and contributions of the King's College Old Boys were also commended especially in the Centenary Project for the College. The College Management and School Based Management Committee were also lauded for their foresight in initiating the 25-year transformation plan for the College.The forum also observed the need for inclusive and holistic moral rearmament strategy to effectively address the restoration of wholesome values and traditions to the College.Pointing out the challenge of limited land space available to the college, stakeholders noted that over the years, there had been no conscious effort to face the inevitable challenge of aging infrastructure, stressing that the College had long been overdue for a strategic plan, the absence of which had stunted its growth.The forum advocated that the bill for repositioning of the Federal Unity Colleges should be presented to the National Assembly without further delay and that the National Assembly give it speedy hearing and passage.Activities for the anniversary celebration included: a novelty match between the Old boys and College Academic staff, Jumat Service, KCOBA annual dinner, KCOBA AGM and elections, an interdenominational thanksgiving service and award ceremony for students.The Forum was attended by the critical stakeholders, including the Executive and members of the King's College Old Boys' Association, led by Mr. Hakeem Belo-Osagie, the Executive and members of the Parents' Teachers' Association, officials of both Federal and Lagos State Ministry of Education, organized private sector, trade unions, religious bodies, the academia, sister secondary schools, the host community, members of the Lagos First Generation Colleges Association, the Media community and students.
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