The National Association of Proprietors of Private School (NAPPS), FCT chapter has elected a new Chairperson, Mrs Rukayat Agboola, who pledged to enshrine professionalism in the association.
The association at the 2022 Transition Retreat for Outgoing and Incoming executives conducted an election for its new executives to pilot the affairs of the association in the next four years.
The retreat, which has as the theme: ” Restructuring NAPPS FCT for the Future” is as a result of the need to improve upon the progress of the previous administration.
Agboola said the new executives would work toward putting in place a firm structure and policy that would have positive effect on the association as well as make the association a voice in the country.
“My major point during my manifesto is professionalism that I want to bring into the association. We want to see that schools are run the way they should.
“We want to see that we follow established laws of the Federal Ministry of Education and other educational agencies like FCT Education Departments, Department of Quality Assurance, Education Resource centre and other agencies.
“Our major focus is professionalism, we want to see that the teachers are well trained not just on their subject area but have gone through the qualification of being a teacher.
“This should be from Grade 2 Teacher, NCE, bachelor degree in education, master degree in education and will also undergo many training to make them grounded as teachers,” she said.
Agboola called on relevant authorities to compel school owners to meet up with required standards as prescribed by the government in operating a school.
She further called for contributions from Non-governmental Organisations (NGO), parents and well-meaning Nigerians in funding the educational sector.
“Education cannot be 100 per cent funded by the government, there should be contribution from parents, NGOs to support the government.
“The government has a yearly budget for education but if the budget is well utilised, it will go a long way.
“For schools not having adequate infrastructures, government can help to put more measures in infrastructure and training and retraining of teachers,” she said.
Mr Steven Bello, the outgoing former Vice Chairperson of FCT NAPPS, advised the new executives to work together as a team to achieve success during their tenure.
Bello, who is also the Chairman of the Electoral Committee for the conduct of the association’s elections, said the elections were conducted smoothly except for some hitches which, was actually surmounted.
“Generally, the elections went smoothly, of course you cannot rule out the fact that there are hitches along the way but we were ready for all those challenges and we overcome them.
“At the end of the day, it was a smooth election. We have hitches like people not taking timeline seriously, people not bringing supporting document to back up their claims and allegations of partiality,” he said.
Also, Mrs Angela Ajala, the Executive Director, Ladela Schools, who spoke on the Presentation of NAPPS Constitution, By-law and Financial Policy, urged the new executives to focus on capacity training and be deliberate to having stakeholders’ engagement to have a qualitative system.
“We are in the transition mood, we just had elections and we have new set of people ready to take the association to the next level.
“So, this is an opportunity for those who are outgoing and those incoming to have their handover notes and to begin to put in place new things to do.
“We want the new executives to focus on capacity training. We want them to be deliberate to their stakeholders engagement, build the capacity of their members and make sure schools in FCT are qualitative with laid down procedure that government wants,” she said.
Similarly, Mrs Olushola Bankole, the outgoing Chairperson, expressed satisfaction on the election, saying they were able to expand the financial committed membership of the association from the inherited 100 members to over 700.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election with 217 voters has Mrs Rukayat Agboola as the Chairperson and Mrs Lilian Ogujiofor, Vice-Chairperson.
Others are Mrs Oluwayemisi Asun as Secretary, Mrs Rukaiya Mohammed, Assistant Secretary, Mrs Julie Onovwiona, Treasurer, Mr Lawrence Omonade, Welfare and Mr Michael Akande, Financial Secretary. (NAN)
