WITH the realisation that reading, not just to pass examinations, but for pleasure, will broaden students’ minds and give them positive outlook in life, members of the Ibadan Grammar School Old Students’ Association (IGSOSA) has inaugurated Readers’ Club at their alma mater.
Championed by Professor (Mrs) Simiat Elias of the 1976/81 set of the school, the club was christened Project TAPPINA for Junior School students.
Speaking during the inauguration of the club at the Emmanuel Alayande Hall of the institution, chairman on the occasion, Chief Taiwo Osungbaro, commended Professor Elias for the project, adding that it would go a long way in helping the students in different ways.
Chief Osungbaro, a member of the 1963 set of the school, said the initiative will make it easy for students to access story books that could help build their communication skills and vocabularies.
He charged the junior students to see the club as an opportunity to develop themselves in the area of language, “as it will make books available to you at all times.”
While also speaking, initiator of the club, Professor Elias, said reading is a fundamental skill which should be inculcated in the younger ones early.
She said through the project, the students would be inspired, just as they would be able to think critically, and above all, enhance their academic performances.
She charged the students to be committed to the project so that they can gain immensely from it.
Another former student of the school, Mrs Yemisi Bamise Afolabi, said 1.9 million students sat for the recent Joint Admissions And Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams but lamented that 1.4 million scored less than 200.
“This means that about 500,000 students scored about 200, which is a cause for concern. I hope this project will help our students better, especially in their academics.”
The project driver, Mr Ayotunde Opakunbi, said the acronym, TAPPINA, stands for title, author, publisher, pages, illustrations, new words/new expressions and abstract, adding that members of the club would be provided a workbook where they will write all these on the book they read.
At the end of the event, bags containing books and workbooks were distributed to members of the club.
At the event were the representative of Professor Salihu Adelabu, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in Oyo State, Mrs Adesola Adekemi Oni; president of IGSOSA, Chief Gaphar Ojetola; Professor Elias’ husband, Alhaji Hassan Elias; school principals and teachers from Ibadan Grammar School and neighbouring schools, among others.
The programme was anchored by Mr Femi Adelugba.
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