As part of activities marking their 31st anniversary, alumni of Government Secondary School, Henshaw Town (GOSA), Calabar,Class of 1995, have donated textbooks worth thousands of naira to their alma mater to support teaching and learning.
The books were presented to the Principal, Mrs. Winifred Manna, by the Set President, Hon. Felix Ekpo, at the school premises on Friday.
Speaking at the brief ceremony, Hon. Ekpo accompanied by other alumni said the set was giving back to the school that shaped their lives.
"We are here to give back to the school that made us who we are," he said. He expressed gratitude that the set has remained united for 31 years, despite losing four members along the way, and thanked God for keeping the rest in good health.
Hon. Ekpo acknowledged that the donation was modest compared to the school's present needs, but expressed hope that it would help shape the learning and character of students to become better citizens.
He used the occasion to appeal to the People First Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, to urgently address the school's infrastructure deficit. According to him, the school currently has no functional accommodation, laboratory or toilet facilities, including those catering to the sanitary needs of female students.
He also urged the State Secondary Education Board and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to deploy security personnel to the school to protect facilities Government is putting in place to upgrade it.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the 31st Anniversary Planning Committee of GOSA 95, Comrade Nakanda Iyadim, thanked the school management for keeping hope alive despite the poor teaching and learning conditions.
He expressed optimism that the State Government, which recently sent a team for a needs assessment, would soon address the deplorable condition of the school.
The Vice Principal listed some of the challenges facing the school to include lack of an administrative block and staff rooms, noting that some classrooms are makeshift structures that can only be used seasonally.
The Class of '95 alumni later toured the dilapidated sections of the school, where they promised to provide a makeshift classroom for Senior Secondary School 3 students to use in the interim, pending comprehensive rehabilitation by the State Government.
Responding on behalf of the school, the Vice Principal, Special Duties, Mr Emmanuel Bassey, thanked the Class of '95 for the kind gesture, adding that the textbooks will aid teaching and learning effectively.
He called on other alumni sets to emulate the humanitarian act, stressing that government alone cannot provide the standard of educational support children require.
Other members of the set decried the poor state of their alma mater, noting that it is in dire need of infrastructure renewal.
