Akure Toyosi Foundation (ATF), based in the United States, has offered to fund a summer school in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State for pupils in the last year of primary schools graduating to Junior Secondary School (JSS 1) as well as those completing JSS 3 for Senior Secondary School (SSS1), during the summer vacation.
The founder, Toyosi Akure Bao, in a statement issued and made available to newsmen in Lokoja on Monday said, “This programme is non-partisan, non-political, non-profit driven, just to give back to the society. I was a potential victim of the societal dangers posed to students during summer vacations. For lack of engagement, some female students are bound to become pregnant while their male counterparts indulge in dangerous drugs and other vices. I say this from experience and even though I will say I was lucky I did not fall into the pit in my adolescence and today I am comfortable, it is by the grace of God. Many others in my shoes then did not escape falling into the pit. Young ones with promising careers saw their dreams shattered all at once. This is why the Foundation has decided to come up with the idea of organizing this summer school to keep our primary school leavers and their counterparts in JSS3 graduating to SSS1 busy in the classrooms while the summer vacation lasts. We will graciously ensure the distribution of 6000 notebooks and mathematical sets and other writing materials while the students will be fed once daily at no charge”.According to a statement by the programme coordinator, Ebenezer Akinola, the summer school focused on individual students’ needs beyond the regular school year.
The three-week programme, which includes providing additional academic instructions for qualified pupils and complemented with full scholarships for the three best performing pupils at the end of the programme, is billed to commence on Monday.
“Classes will be held at Saint John’s Primary School, Egbe between 9am and 1pm daily from 14th August to 31st August, 2023 with lunch provided at no cost”, he stated.
The opening session on Monday is expected to be graced by the Chairman, Yagba West Local Government, Pius Kolawole and the Elegbe of Egbe and Chairman, Yagba West Traditional Council, Oba Ayodele Irukera, among other council officials.“We shall be providing counselors to assess students’ performance alongside their interest to determine what classes they need to be; commercials, sciences or arts. The top three performing students from the two levels shall be awarded full scholarships, provision of school uniforms, textbooks, school sandals and writing materials. All participants shall be awarded certificates on completion. Scholarships shall be awarded strictly to government-owned schools across Yagba West Local Government Area”, the statement added.
