Alumni Associations Can Reform Nigerian Educational Sector, Says DOBA Old Student

By Khalid Idris Doya

An educational institution in Bauchi has suggested that governments at all levels should partner with relevant Alumni associations to assist them in implementing education policies and reforms with a view to measure impacts and performances.

Describing education as the bedrock of national growth and development, an alumni of the institution noted that association members have a significant role to play in ensuring that they preserve the values and doctrine of their respective institutions.

The class 85 old boy of Duguri Government Secondary school in Bauchi state, Dr. Bala Gambo Jahun at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Duguri Old Students Association (DOBA) led by Ahmad Mohammed Saka yesterday in Bauchi, noted that alumni associations in Nigeria are critical stakeholders in the process of reforming the education sector.

He said, “All of us must see this as a call to initiate a developmental process that will bring about sustainable change in the education system. We must provide all the necessary support to drive change in this most critical sector. As members of alumni associations, you can volunteer your professional services for seminars and workshops on key issues that will change the sector.”

Engr. Jahun added, “As members of alumni associations, your wealth of experience should be an addition to the system you once learned under. We cannot afford to fail in our role and responsibilities. We have so much we can give back to our institutions. Our progress in Nigeria is tied to the gains we can get from our education system. If we do nothing, the rot will continue and may haunt us all in future.”

Engr Bala Jahun said in a paper titled, “The role of Alumni Associations in fostering unity among old students” that if they must secure the future, and stand their ground to defend the integrity of the learning spaces, they must collectively facilitate and intervene to ensure development and progress in the reformation of the education sector.

He further told the old boys, “Our interventions can come collectively or separately. What we should never forget is that there is great reward in giving back to the system that in a way impacted our lives. Basic learning tools such as Library, computers, and books can be provided by alumni associations”.

“We must be aware that alumni associations represent a significant and vocal constituency in the education sector. Alumni associations are well-known sources of strength to the younger generations, they are strong and powerful voices which could exercise a considerable amount of influence on the policy direction of education reforms in Nigeria. And they can help to provide the funding.”

Dr. Jahun explained that decay in the education system could be addressed by drawing resources from alumni associations through which the critical areas in the system could be positively impacted, stressing that the support of alumni associations is critical to the conceptualisation as well as effective implementation of education reforms.

Dr. Bala Gambo Jahun therefore expressed the optimism that alumni could be a vital source of career and character guidance, and also help to transmit the essence of school spirit, culture and beliefs from one generation of students to the next.

Earlier, the chairman of Duguri Old Boys Association (DOBA), Alh. Ahmed Mohammed Saka expressed delight with the reunion of the once students of Duguri Government Secondary school, pointing out that the educational ladder of the school has transformed some of the old students into professors, engineers, technocrats, medical doctors, veteran journalists, among others.

Ahmed Mohammed who noted with delight that all the living old boys of the school are blessed by God in one way or the other, however stressed the need for skills acquisition training for the upcoming products of the institution for self-reliance against the hardly acquired white-collar jobs in the public service.

Mohammed then stressed the need for the evolution of various strategies of unification of the school old boys in such ways of not only promoting the development and growth of the institution, but also in effectively uniting together the old students for the benefits of all.