The Founder and Spiritual Head of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide and Initiator of the Professor Olagoke Legacy Education Foundation, OLEG, Prof. Sabit Ariyo Olagoke (JP), has said that education remains the surest path to national development, but poor management is responsible for the frustrations associated with it.
Prof. Olagoke stated this on Sunday while declaring open the 20th edition of the annual Professor Olagoke Legacy Education Foundation at the Shafaudeen Centre for Religious Cooperation and Tolerance, Ultra-Modern Hall, Wakajaye, Ibadan.
Delivering a lecture titled “Education For Town And Gown: The Functionality Question” Professor Olagoke insisted that the problem with Nigeria’s education system is not the idea of schooling itself, but how it is managed and applied.
“Knowledge is power but education is the tool to achieve it. Be wise. Education is never a scam but poor management of it may make it so. Let us pursue the cause of functional education for a safe, prosperous and secured future,” he said.
The cleric emphasized that for education to deliver results, it must reform the individual to enable him transform society.
He identified two critical areas: *parents’ wellness in child rearing responsibilities* and graduates’ impact through town and gown philosophy driven by curiosity, critical thinking, and research.
“Let us work on the functionality question by producing graduates that are godly and patriotic to the nation with a living conscience that ceaselessly pricks, checks, admonishes and regulates for guide,” he said.
Prof. Olagoke recalled that OLEG started in 2006 at Shafaudeen Global Peace Hall, Wakajaye, Iwo Road, Ibadan as a pilot project to prepare secondary school students for public examinations and tertiary admission particularly JSS 2 and SSS 2 students for BECE, WAEC, SSCE, and NECO
” It has spread to nine venues nationwide including Government College Ikorodu, Taidob College Abeokuta, Lead City University Ibadan, Ansarudeen High School Saki, NUJ Hall Osogbo, Ogbomoso Recreational Club, and Al-Aadi Unique College Oyo”, he said
According to him , It currently covers Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States, and has reached Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri and Delta since 2012
“OLEG’s vision is to see a world where education will be put to practical use for development and radiate rights in youths for meaningful contributions to the world order.
” Its objectives include talent discovery, motivating youths through quiz, debate and essay competitions, and organizing lectures for human and national development,” he stated
Earlier, Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Kamil Adesope lauded the OLEG Initiative by Professor Olagoge stating that the competition has positively impacted students who have participated in the competition since inception
He urged parents to encourage their children in secondary schools to participate in the education competition to broaden their academic knowledge.
