in

Chrisland: A Legacy in Jeopardy

By Chris Adetayo

In the mid 1970s, Mama Awosika and her late husband, Victor Awosika, ventured into an arena that individuals didn’t go into. Back then, very few thought of sending their wards to private schools. For our public schools were great – great facilities, great teachers, great programmes. Schools were decently funded and even though teachers weren’t the best paid around, they commanded societal respect and adulation. In this situation, there was no compelling reason for parents to seek out private schools.

Yet the Awosikas entered the fray. Chrisland School was born in 1977 somewhere in Ikeja, Lagos. I don’t know much about it’s early history but I’ve been to the very modest space where it started. Actually, I went inside the school to complain. Why? I was driving by and saw the flags of Nigeria, the US, Britain, and Canada on it’s premises. While the Nigerian flag was tattered and torn, that of the other foreign countries were relatively new and glorious. I went in and threatened to take pictures and post on social media if the Nigerian flag was not changed. The School Head begged me so I left them alone. I digress.

Well, as the economy gradually collapsed and recovery systems like SAP drained resources away from public entities, public schools became derelict and private schools started to fill in the gap. As one of the long standing private schools, Chrisland became a school of choice for middle and upper class children. From its modest primary school in the late 1970s, it now has more than 10 primary and secondary schools in Lagos and Abuja, and a university. When it marked its 45th Founders Day in 2022, there was much to celebrate. It was 45 years of a progressive legacy, and watching Mama Awosika (she’s in her 80s now) at the event was awe inspiring.

Well, that legacy is now in complete tatters. For Chrisland is now riven by scandals; scandals that signpost the incompetence of its management and its failure to match with the times. 2 incidents in less than a year have brought the Chrisland brand to its knees, and what comes clear from both is how detached the management of the school is from the kids that are in their care.

The first happened in Dubai where a group of Chrisland students from Lekki had gone for a programme. One of the kids was alleged to have been in some sort of sexual event that made the news. Not going into the sordid details but as I write, no heads rolled over that incident.

The latest happened last week Thursday. Students of Chrisland High School Ikeja were at the Agege Stadium for their annual inter-house sports. One of the students slumped before competition got underway. Between the girl slumping and being confirmed dead at a nearby hospital, the story gets a bit hazy. But the following we know to be true –

1. There was no ambulance at the stadium. The patient was put in a school bus (they have them aplenty) and ferried to a hospital.

2. There was no medical personnel.

3. First aid administered on the spot consisted of pouring the slumped girl water.

4. Despite the knowledge that the slumped girl had died, the inter house sports went ahead as scheduled and students were not informed of anything.

5. School was closed on friday so that “students can rest at home after their exertions at the interhouse”.

6. Parents found out about the incident through social media and other informal sources. School did not communicate anything to them until afternoon of Saturday (2 days after the incident).

7. School was scheduled to reopen on Monday until several parents made it clear they were not going to send their kids to school in the prevailing circumstances. Thereafter the school announced that school will be closed for a few days. This was before the LASG announced closure of the school.

Even a cursory review of the incident shames the management of Chrisland. How can you not have an ambulance and qualified first responders at a sporting event? Quite apart from someone slumping, injuries happen in sports. The first 5 minutes of an incident is critical. Chrisland bungled this badly!!

Then you take a look at the various actions that followed. What shambolic decision making.

I do not have any desire to dump on the school. I love Chrisland – ever since I became aware of them in the 1990s. I love Mama Awosika for her foresight.

Sadly, there’s really little to love about the school’s management over these recurring incidents. Right now, they risk destroying the lifelong work of a retired woman who gave so much to build a school that was admired far and near.

May Whitney Adeniran’s soul rest in peace profound🙏🙏🙏

Report

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What do you think?

928 Points
Upvote Downvote
Enthusiast

Written by Olusesan Oba

Years Of MembershipStory MakerContent Author

Why more women are thriving in male-dominated tech space- Roseline Ilori , CEO of Bridge 57 Solutions

Okocha tips Victor Moses to come good after injury setback