An Educationist and Proprietress of Folarin Dalley Group of Schools, Mrs.Oluwatoyin Dalley, has warned parents to desist from pressurising school authorities for “double promotions”.
Dalley, who dropped the advice at the joint Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting of Samuel Williamson Dalley Nursery and Primary School and Folarin Dalley International College in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, over the weekend, said encouraging students to skip classes was one of the factors breeding cultism in higher institutions.
“The inherent danger in pushing for a 14-year-old, for instance, to be in the university is plethora. One, such student, no matter how intelligent he or She may be, will be emotionally and psychologically immature.
“Such immaturity will predispose such teens to be vulnerable when the bad boys and girls come for their hands and souls in evil groups,” the disturbed Proprietress stressed at the well-attended maiden meeting after the Covid- 19 forced closure of schools.
Dalley, who was sandwiched by the Chairman of the PTA, Mr. Ayodele Soretire; Principal of the College, Miss Esther Ayodele and the Head Mistress of the Nursery and Primary School, Miss Gbemisola Awosiyan, also commended the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for evolving technology to expose multiple registrations for same exams, even as she expressed concern over lack of proper prioritisation of children needs by some parents.
She said parents should approach management of the schools when they are hard-up financially for undertaking or keep their wards away from school, instead of subjecting them to psychological trauma of being sent away from classes.
Earlier in his welcome address, Soretire commended the school authorities for making the staff more dedicated “in addition to improving on the infrastructure.”
He also commended the academic staff for their renewed dedication to duty.
He urged parents to identify peculiar talents of their children to avoid drawing “unnecessary comparism that can generate bad blood amongst the siblings.”
Responding to concerns raised by parents, a Director in the School, Engr. Oluwasegun Dalley, towed the proprietress’ line of declaration that “the schools in the group will not drop the efiko sobriquet given it by other school proprietors.”
According to him, “We are not making further Mathematics compulsory up till SS 2 for fun. We are deliberately doing that to make Mathematics a lot easier and friendly for our students.
“Non-science students will drop it in SS 2 class while science students will carry on with it to external examinations.”
Dalley promised to look into demands by the parents to continue registering students for foreign examinations.