Announcements - Loyola Jesuit College

The lion or lioness is the school’s mascot, and pride (a group of lions/lionesses) refers to the students of Loyola Jesuit College.Vol. 7 Number 4 A Newsletter for Parents 1 December 2007FESTIVITIES OF THE FESTIVE SEASONWith the Memorial Drama in sight, it has nonetheless been a chain of Jesuit celebrations. The ordinationof Rev. Amaechi, our Assistant Chaplain, is the first of its kind at LJC. Recently, the past Presidents ofLJC (Fr. Pat Ryan SJ and Fr. Peter Schineller SJ) celebrated their Golden Jubilee as Jesuits. Below is aphoto of the celebration at Fordham. With Fr. Pat and Fr. Peter are three LJC veterans and their friend:At the Golden Jubilee celebration in New York: LJC past presidents in Roman Collar; Mr. Michael Ogunleye (LJCHostel Director from 2001-2006, on study leave, finishing a Master's degree in Biology/Education at the Fordham Jesuit Universityin New York); George Atta-Boateng (a Ghanian friend of the Loyolans and also a graduate student at Fordham); Tony Akande(LJC graduate of 2003 and presently a graduate student at Fordham in Economics); Dolapo Fakeye (LJC graduate of 2005,presently a second year undergraduate at Fordham, in the honors program).

AnnouncementsAnnouncementsLJC STUDENT WINS NSE ESSAY COMPETITION: About20,000 candidates nationwide entered for the 2007 NigerianStock Exchange 8th annual essay competition for secondaryand tertiary institutions. LJC Lioness Chidinma Ukabamemerged 1st position at the award ceremony on the 12th ofNovember 2007 in Lagos. Although we have always beenthe NSE local champions (FCT), this is the first time an LJCstudent has won the first prize at the national level. HenceChidinma deserves her prize sum of N80,000 Access BankShares. Congratulations to a true member of the Pride!LOYOLA HEAD GIRL HEADS THE SECURITY COUNCILOF THE MODEL UNITED NATIONS SOCIETY: ModelUnited Nations Society invited Loyola Jesuit College to participateat their annual international conference from the21st to the 25th of October 2007. In a very competitive conferenceinvolving more than 90 schools, LJC won the SecurityCouncil position, with Sakinah Badamasuiy (our HeadGirl) emerging as the new President of the Security Council.Uchechi Rochas Okorocha (Connelly House Captain)was also elected the Co-Secretary General. Obviously, theworld can look forward to a brighter future!LJC PRINCIPAL ADDRESSES NAPPS: Fr. John-Okoria SJwas the Guest Speaker at the 2007 Dinner/Award Night ofthe National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools atthe Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on the 29th of November2007. The theme of his presentation was “Private Schoolsand Quality Assurance.” Present/represented at the occasion,among a host of other dignitaries, were: the Ministerof the FCT Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar; the Director of DPI(Directorate of Policy Implementation); Director of ERC(Education Resource Centre) and the Secretary for Educationfor the Federal Capital Territory, Mrs. Filicita Olajide.(See page 12 for the text of the principal’ lecture)ABUJA PTA MEETING: There will be a meeting of theAbuja branch of the LJC Parents-Teachers Association onthe 8th of December 2007 at 12:00 noon inside the ConferenceRoom of the LJC Admin Office. All our Abuja parentsshould please endeavor to be at the meeting.WELCOME TO LJC: We recently employed a residentnurse—to live among our students in the girls’ hostel.We are glad to welcome into the LJC Community Mrs.Augustina Njoku. She joins us from Our Lady’s ClinicAbuja, where she was Assistant Matron. Mrs. Njokwu isa doubly qualified nurse with 14 years of experience.We are also happy to have Mrs. Sarah Dankor as ournew dietitian. She has already begun to make somechanges in the school menu, such as replacing one ofthe two soft drinks with yogurt. Naturally, the studentsdo not like the change (sweet tooth!), but we judge it tobe for their good. Mrs. Dankor has been working as adietitian since 1984, first at the Bauchi State HealthManagement Board, then as Instructor of Nutrition andDietetics at the Kaduna Polytechnic, and finally as theChief Dietitian and Head of Department (Dietetics) atthe National Hospital Abuja. (However, Mrs. Dankor’schanges has doubled the cost of our weekly budget forfood. It is the price to be paid for making good changes!)APPEAL IN ANOTHER CASE OF BRAIN TUMOR:Melissa Adele (JS-2D, Connelly House) has been ill andunable to resume school this term. Sadly, she was recentlydiagnosed with a brain tumor and has secured amedical emergency visa to go for treatment in the US.Please let us keep Melissa in our thoughts and prayers.Her parents would appreciate any help with the cost oftreatment. You may send your prayerful wishes or contributionby contacting Melissa’s parents:chinda_adele@yahoo.co.ukFORMER LIONS/LIONESSES AND THE TRUELOYOLANS: A Loyolan is a graduate of Loyola JesuitCollege Abuja. In the past we have used that word,Loyolan, to designate the members of the Loyola JesuitCollege community (students, staff and parents of LJC).Henceforth that appellation is strictly reserved for thoseissued the LJC diploma after six years in the college.They alone (the Loyolans) constitute the association ofLJC Alumni. This means that students of LJC who (forwhatever reason) leave the school before graduationautomatically forfeit their entitlement to that appellationand to membership of the LJC Alumni Association.CHANGE IN NETHERLANDS CENTRE ADDRESS: Notethat the address of our entrance exam registration centre inthe Hague has been changed to the following: Amaliastraat13, 2514 JC Den Haag (NOT as published in the last newsletter:Aloysiushuis, Thoenstraat 30, 2596 HZ Den Haag).GRATITUDE TO A GENEROUS PTA BRANCH: Wethank the Abuja PTA for donating two drinking waterdispensers (each costing N170,000) to serve our hostels.Our “landlords/landladies” have also pledged the sum ofN500,000 in contribution to the on-going fence work inthe school. May God bless you all.2

Announcements"Zeal for your house Lord, propels me on"(A biography of Rev. Fr. Amaechi M. Ugwu SJ)"The journey of a thousand miles", they say, "begins with a step". It is true that taking each step ofone’s life journey is to expose one’s self to the possibility of a failure. However, not to attempt is a greaterfailure, for it is to be crippled by fear. Like a toddler making his or her first attempts at walking, this youngJesuit learnt with faith in God how to be a disciple of Jesus under the banner of his cross.Rev. Amaechi Miletus Ugwu, S.J., comes from Ezimo in Udenu L.G.A of Enugu State, but he haslived most of his life outside of his home place. The third child in a family of six children (two females andfour males), Amaechi was born into a happy family of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Ugwu on 24th January 1974 inAgbor, Delta State, where his parents used to live. He did his pre-primary and primary education between1978 and 1986, during which he was also an altar server. Perhaps, this early influence of priests in his lifewith his strict Catholic upbringing helped Rev. Amaechi to desire to become a priest. After his primaryeducation, he proceeded to St. Paul's Minor Seminary in Benin City for his secondary education, wherehe graduated in 1992. This was followed by a nine month stint at the Diocesan Spiritual Center at Ekpoma,Edo State. He eventually left the program and moved to Lagos where he took up a temporary teaching job in aprivate school, while preparing to sit for the JAMB (Joint Admission and Matriculation Board) examination.Although Amaechi did get the required grades in his JAMB exam for admission into the University of Benin,he never pursued the offer, since he was already undergoing series of interviews towards his admission intothe Jesuit Novitiate which is the first stage of the Jesuit formation. The decision to defer his university studieswas made possible by the fact that Amaechi already had friends among the Jesuits whom he admired and whoencouraged him to consider becoming a Jesuit during his secondary education.Thus, following a personal discernment on his decision to become a Jesuit priest, he finally applied tothe Jesuits in 1994 but was not admitted into the Jesuit Novitiate until 1996—after undergoing all necessary3

AnnouncementsAnnouncementsspiritual, intellectual and medical examinationsrequired for admission to the Society of Jesus. The twoyears in the Jesuit Novitiate was a graced period of learningabout the Ignatian Spirituality. Like many otherJesuits, the 30-day retreat remains for Amaechi the highpoint of his Novitiate experience. It represents for him(as well as for all Jesuits), an intimate period with Godand a crucial time of discernment at that initial stage offormation. As part of his Novitiate experience, Amaechiworked in Loyola Jesuit College for a short period of twomonths. He pronounced his vows in July 1998 alongwith eight other novices shortly before he was sent to ArrupeJesuit School of Philosophy and Humanities in Harare,Zimbabwe.Becoming a Jesuit priest or brother involves awide range of rigorous and challenging experiences includingthe learning of new languages. Thus by thesummer of 1999, after a year of studies in Harare,Amaechi was sent to Abidjan, Cote D'Ivore for a programin the French language. In 2002, having graduated fromhis philosophy study, Amaechi was once again missionedto Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, for his Regency. Heserved as a choir master, class teacher, sacristan, clubfacilitator as well as the Jesuit Community treasurer.Two years later (2004) with a sense of fulfillment and agreater determination for the priesthood, Amaechi set outfor his theological studies in Nairobi, Kenya at HekimaCollege, the Jesuit School of Theology, Peace Studiesand International Relations. In the summer of 2005, aftersome studies in communication, Amaechi was sent toRome, Italy, where he worked as a broadcaster at the AfricanService of the Vatican Radio.He returned to Kenya to complete his theology,but not before undergoing another internship programduring the summer of 2006 at the Jesuit Retreat Center,Benin City, Edo State, on retreat direction. Rev. Amaechireturned to Nigeria after completing his theological studieslast summer and was missioned for the third time toLoyola Jesuit College as the Assistant school Chaplainand also doubles up as a teacher of Christian ReligiousStudies. Due to his love for music, Rev Amaechi is also amember of the school choir. After his priestly ordination,Rev. Fr. Amaechi Ugwu SJ will continue to work at theschool for at least another year before moving on to a newmission of either studies or active ministry. His prayer isthat God may continue to grant good health, long life andpeace to his parents, family members and friends and allthose who have supported him in the course of his yearsof Jesuit formation. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!U.S. EMBASSY “ANNUAL COLLEGE AND CAREERFAIR 2007”: This year’s US College Fair took place onThursday 25th October 2007 at the Abuja Center ForArts and Culture. Thirty SS–3 Students attended thefair. Mr. Gabriel Egudu of the Counselling Unit accompaniedthe students. The various American Universities/Collegespresent at the fair gave presentationsabout their admission requirements. To hearfrom the students themselves:“On the morning of the 25th of October 2007, twentyninestudents and myself, accompanied by one memberof the faculty staff, set off for the National Centrefor Arts and Culture in the Garki District of Abuja.The students chosen were those who had been nominatedfor or won awards for academic excellence inthe penultimate academic year. On leaving theschool, a prayer was said and Uju Omeata, an Abujaresident, took up position of tourist guide and describedvarious places to the students. When we gotto the centre, we were thronged by a mob of cameramen wanting to take pictures.There were some LJC alumni and studentsfrom other schools there. After a brief period of interaction,we proceeded to the conference room. The hallwas already full so we had to make do with sittingoutside. We were all ears as we listened intently toadvice on how to apply and complete the variousprocesses involved in gaining admission into AmericanUniversities. After the talks, there was a questionand answer session followed by refreshments. Wethen proceeded to the exhibition court which wasfilled with people purchasing college material fromreputed universities such as MIT and University ofArizona, to name but a few. We received variousforms, books and brochures which would help us inpassing the SATs and TOEFL tests and guide us inour applications.At about 1:30 PM, the fair ended unofficiallyas people started leaving and we followed suit so as tomake it back to school in time for our afternoon studyhall. On our way back to school we stopped at a fastfoodrestaurant where Mr. Gabriel Egudu saw to itthat we were well fed before we continued on ourjourney back to school. As we approached the gates ofLJC, a prayer was said in thanksgiving for a successfuland enlightening excursion.(-Somto Okeke, SS-3, reporting for the Current Affairs Club)4

AnnouncementsCATCHING UP ON KECHI OKWUCHI: As we prepare to commemorate our Sixty Angels, it is withrenewed hope that we inform you that Kechi (the only LJC student who survived the Sosoliso planecrash) is responding well to treatment at the Shriners Burns Hospital in Galveston, Texas. It has beenvery busy for Kechi's mum, overseeing the surgeries and Kechi’s enrollment into school. The doctorsdecided it would be good for her to resume school, to get busy and stimulate her brain for an all-roundrecovery. She is currently being enrolled in Ball High School in Galveston, Texas. LJC has already forwardedher transcripts to facilitate her insertion into the 12th grade. A true Lioness, Kechi is eager toresume school and sends her love to all members of the Loyola Jesuit College community. Her mumcontinues to express her gratitude to us for all the prayers and encouragement.GRATITUDE TO A FORMER PARENT: Mrs. Ngozi Egbuna, an ex-parent of LJC, is the author ofA Peep into an African Kitchen. She has graciously donated nine copies of her book to our Food andNutrition (F & N) students, enough for every F & N student and two of their teachers to have a copyeach. We are most grateful, Mrs. Egbuna, and be assured of our love and prayers.REGISTRATION FOR THE 2008 JSCE, SSCE, NECO AND WAEC: We have commenced the registrationprocess with WAEC and NECO towards next year’s exams. As required, every JS-3 student is topay N3,950 (three thousand, nine hundred and fifty Naira) for the 2008 JSCE registration. For the SS-3,they are to pay N8,570 (eight thousand, five hundred and seventy naira) for both their NECO andWAEC registration. Parents whose children/wards are in the above classes are to pay the aforementionedfees on or before the end of the term.ANTICIPATING STUDENT TRAVEL FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY: Whether we choose to travel byland or air, we need to plan the trip as best as humanly possible. Our parents living outside Abujashould now decide what means of transport they want their children to use for this coming holiday.Those intending to travel by air should send the confirmed tickets to the school ten days before end ofterm, to enable us plan to convey the children to their various departure points. Avoid late flights, asthis poses the risk of night travel to and from the airport. However, parents who book flights departingbefore 9:00 am should organize for their children to get to the airport. We will have the children be atthe Abuja airport by 8:00 AM and pick them up at the Abuja airport on resumption day. Our last vehiclefrom the airport to the school on resumption leaves there at 4:00PM. Please note, any student who arrivesafter 4:00PM would have to take a taxi from the airport to Loyola. The fare can be paid to the taxidriver on arrival at our admin office, since no student is allowed to bring money into LJC.Please, remember, it is the duty of parents to purchase the flight tickets or come pick up their wards onvacation. Parents who have decided that their children travel by road should submit their wards’ namesto the admin office and ensure there is enough money in the child’s account to purchase their bus tickets.ABC and Eagle Line are our preferred road transport service, so any parent who wants their ward/child to travel by any other transport company will need to organize to transport the child to the bus stationfrom the school. Any parent who abandons a Lion or Lioness within the school premises aftervacation on Saturday December 15th 2007 will be fined. Finally, avoid making any request for yourward to vacate before December 15th—as the Principal would like all the students to return to theirparents with their report cards at the end of the term.5

TOEFL TESTS: Registration of our SS-3 studentsand writing of the TOEFL test have commenced.The first group of students sat for this examinationon Saturday the 24th of November 2007 at theWomen’s Development Center, Abuja.The students who took the test are very hopeful.Due to limited available dates and our desire tomake our students take the TOEFL test as soon aspossible, to meet up with their universities applicationrequirements, some of our students have beenregistered for December 8 and 15, 2007. Parents ofthose students for the 15th December 2007 TOEFL[the day the school vacates for Christmas] havebeen contacted to reschedule the travel arrangementof their children. The 2008 test dates have notbeen made known by ETS, but we hope to registerthe rest of our students for the January 2008 dateswhen made available. The fee for this examinationis $170. Parents who have not paid this fee for theirchildren should do so soonest.NOTE: The acceptable means of identification andadmission into the examination hall in the aboveexam is the international passport. Parents shouldtherefore submit in advance the passports of theirchildren who are to take this examination.LJC CAREER AND UNIVERSITY PRESENTA-TION DAY FOR SS-3 STUDENTS: The 17th ofNovember 2007 was LJC College and Career FairDay for our SS–3 students. Two institutions madepresentations:[a] African Leadership Academy—This is an A-Level school scheduled to begin in South Africa inSeptember 2008. According to Miss Awe, the institution’srepresentative, the courses to be offeredwill include Leadership, Entrepreneurship and AfricanStudies. It is a two-year programme. The firstyear will be World Class Academic Core [Theoryand Application] and the second year will be AcademicFocus Subjects with Culminating ServiceProject. Many LJC students found this programmevery appealing. A number have therefore pickedup the application form on-line.[b] ABTI American University of Nigeria, Yola—Though situated in Nigeria, it operates American–Style University programme. It is a comprehensiveUniversity offering undergraduate and graduateprograms in all the major areas of human inquiry.According to Professor Harold Arvidson, whomade the presentation, the institution has threeschools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the schoolof Business and Entrepreneurship, and the schoolof Information and Communications.The next LJC Career and University PresentationDay is the 26th of January 2007. More top qualityinstitutions have signed on for that day.VISION 2020 CAREER COUNSELLING ANDAWARENESS WORKSHOP (OIL AND GAS CA-REERS FOR YOUTHS): Lonadek Oil and GasConsultants on the 22 nd of November 2007 organizeda career counselling and awareness workshopin the Oil and Gas industry for Youths, tagged,“Vision 2020: Restoring Hope Through Youth Empowerment[Oil and Gas Careers for Youths]”.Participants were enlightened on the opportunitiesavailable and the skills required to function ascareer professionals by applying science and technology.Mr. Egudu of the Counselling departmentrepresented LJC at the one-day programme. Theworkshop took place at the National Center forWomen’s Development, Abuja. There were presentationsby representatives from institutions such asPTDF; the Federal Ministry of Education; ChevronOil company, represented by Mrs. Adeyemo; theNNPC, represented by Engr. Oviasu; ChevronScholarship Programmes for students. Each of theabove representatives of the various institutionsgave presentations on a variety of topics.6

NOMINATIONS FOR THE NEXT HEAD BOY AND HEAD GIRL OF LOYOLA JESUIT COLLEGE:The student nominations for the next Head Boy and Head Girl took place from the 4th to the 17th of November.The staff nomination was a week earlier. The Debate night was Friday the 23rd of November2007. In the end, the following emerged as the candidates (in alphabetical order of first names):Head Boy:Allamin DaggashHead Girl:Dhvani TombushEbuka ArinzeEbehi IyohaNonso AnyigboNkiru AnizobaTijani SadiqNkiru IbeanuTumilara AkinlawonZinat Jimada(In the spirit of the Debate Night, Tobi Ade-Odiachi (JSS-2) exercised her freedom of expression)May the best win!7

SS 1 SUBJECT CHOICE SHEET: All SS-1 studentsmust do a minimum of 11 subjects and a maximum of12. The core subjects offered by the College, (in conformitywith the National Policy on Education, WAEC andNECO Statutory Prescriptions for SSCE) and the possibleOption Groups are as follows:CORE:1. ENGLISH LANGUAGE2. GENERAL MATHEMATICS3. HAUSA4. BIOLOGY5. CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE6. FRENCH7. ECONOMICSOPTION GROUPS:8. LITERATURE IN ENGLISH ORGEOGRAPHY OR HISTORY9. AGRIC. SCIENCE OR TECHNICALDRAWING OR FOODS AND NUTRITIONELECTIVE GROUPS (A student must take at leastTWO subjects from the Elective Group):10. FURTHER MATHEMATICS OR FINE ART11. PHYSICS OR GOVERNMENT12. CHEMISTRY OR HISTORYFURTHER INFORMATION ON CHOICE OFSUBJECTS: Only one subject may be selected from agiven option group. Christian Religious Knowledge isa compulsory choice for all Christian students.Students who achieved a very low performance/standard in General Mathematics and IntegratedScience in the Mock and the JSCE Examinations, willnot be allowed to do Physics in SS 1. This is becausethey have shown from their result an inadequatefoundation and preparation for the subject. On theother hand, if some students insist on taking up Physicsin spite of their poor grades, they may be given theopportunity to repeat JS-3 in order to see if they couldattain the required standard, if they believe that theircurrent performance was as a result of lack of effort.PARENT-STUDENT INFORMATION MANAGE-MENT: We would like our parents to avoid sendingsensitive information to their children via e-mail, particularlynews of bereavement. If such information cannotwait until the next visiting day, please contact ourAdmin Office to help relay such sensitive informationto your child. Thanks for your cooperation.J. A. M. E. REGISTRATION: All our SS-3 studentswill be registered for this exam as soon as JAMBadvertises for candidates to apply. Parents of all SS-3students should discuss with their children on visitingdays about the Courses and Universities of choice.Parents should also deposit enough money into theaccounts of their children in SS-3 to pay for thisexamination.DECEMBER 2007 SAT 1&11 EXAMINATION: Thisexamination is scheduled to take place on Saturdaythe 1st of December 2007. Twenty-three of our SS-3students are to sit for the SAT-1 examination and eightstudents are to sit for SAT–2.ACCOUNT RECONCILIATION: We have the followingpayments made into the school’s account but cannottrace the beneficiaries. Please, if you made paymentsthat do not reflect on your children’s accounts,and your payment reflects in our suspense accountbelow, please furnish us with your deposit slips so wecan allocate payment accordingly:11/12/2006 2006/2007 fees =217,453.0027-12-2006 Balance Plan B fee: CD Jeffson M @ Jos =191,000.0020-01-2007 Helen Mejenite - Topping account =2,000.0013-02-2007 Topping account: Paid in by LoveDay =20,000.0021-03-2007 Fees =13,000.0004/04/2007 Bal fee =186,000.0004/04/2007 Bal fees: Charles =186,000.0011/04/2007 Full Payment =30,000.0021-05-2007 Spring bank CQ#405448 =60,000.0031-05-2007 UBA CQ#76612696 =60,000.0024-07-2007 Paid in by Nwankwo E.A. DS459585 =57,000.0031-08-2007 Topping account - Paid in by Kofi Ofuafor =10,730.0007/09/2007 Plan-B fees Paid in by Express Image Ltd =349,000.0010/09/2007 Part fees - Paid in by Patrick Okoye = 88,000.0010/09/2007 Plan-B fees - Paid in by Okoye Patrick =356,500.0021-09-2007 Plan-A fees - DP/DIB/Chq20144 =587,500.00Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.8

D-DAY DAWNS: THE ANNUAL MEMORIAL DRAMA 2007BYFR. JOHN-OKORIA SJOn behalf of the staff and students of Loyola Jesuit College Abuja, it is my honor to invite you to the Memorial Dayof the 60 Angels—our students who died in the ill-fated Sosoliso plane crash of 10th December 2005. The eventwill begin at 3.00 PM on Saturday the 8th of December 2007 inside the Memorial Hall built in memory of the 60Angels. This year we commemorate our 60 students by featuring a play production of Ola Rotimi’s “If…a Tragedyof the Ruled. ”The play will be presented by the Loyola Union—made up of the classmates, siblings of our 60 Angels,(Above are some members of the Loyola Union rehearsing the play “If...a Tragedy of the Ruled”)and other talented students and teachers. Before the Play, the Loyola Union will be officially inaugurated by HerExcellency, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hajiya Turai Umaru Yar’Adua.This production is our own way of calling attention to our individual and collective responsibilities towards nationbuilding. Despite some initial reservations, I chose the play “If...a Tragedy of the Ruled” because of its appropriatenessfor our 12/10 remembrance day. Set in Port Harcourt, the city of the plane crash, the first voice you hear inthe play is that of an announcer: “This is Radio Rivers, Port Harcourt….”My favorite character in the play is Onyema, a talented young man who came first in the National CommonEntrance Exam. Unfortunately, he dies at the end of the play, unable to explore his wonderful talents and fulfill(Contd. On page 10)9

his noble dreams. Thus Onyema represents for me our students who died in the Sosoliso plane crash. LikeOnyema, our 60 Angels were some of the brightest in the nation. Similarly, Onyema’s death could have beenavoided. The electricity went off when Onyema collapsed, as it did at the Port Harcourt airport on the 10th ofDecember 2005. Hence an asthmatic Onyema could not be noticed lying on the ground. Gasping for life, all heneeded was an oxygen mask. As on the day of the plane crash, there was no adequate emergency service torevive him. He dies in a context of contradictions, a Port Harcourt society rife with irony: the rich/mighty brandishingtheir wealth and power, so much so that no one notices how the innocent are crushed!That context of contradictions is played out in one building, housing a most varied group of tenants. Their landlord,on the eve of the local government elections, increases the rent from N1,000 (one thousand Naira) toN5, 000 (five thousand Naira). A clear sign that the increment was unwarranted, he would reduce the rent if thetenants vote for him at the coming elections. The tenants had to decide whether to resist injustice or play along.Of different backgrounds and very diverse personalities, they could not agree on a common approach towardsthe landlord. The situation became very complicated. Onyema got caught in the middle of it all.If, and only if, the tenants (the oppressed masses) for a change will use their votes as tools for their own freedom,then the household will never again lose a talented child like Onyema. However, that can be a very big “IF...aTragedy of the Ruled.”10

Academic Year 2007–2008Please verify with each edition of theNewsletter, as some dates will change….1ST TERM: SEPTEMBER 6- DECEMBER 15, 2007Jesuit Priestly Ordination of Miletus Onyemaechi Ugwu SJ December 1-2 (All Loyola Parents and Friends Invited)End of Term Examinations December 5-11Annual Loyola Jesuit College Drama (In memory of our 60 Angels) December 8 (All Loyola Parents and Friends Invited)LJC Hosts the Abuja Cricket Team December 9End of Term Activities December 12-14First Term Ends: Students leave for vacation December 15Kairos Retreat December 15-18Faculty Workshop December 18-202nd TERM: JANUARY 5 – March 15, 2008JS-1, JS-3 and SS-3 Resume January 5JS-2, SS-1 and SS-2 Resume January 6Career and University Presentations January 26First Continuous Assessment January 30—February 1B, D & E Classes Visiting Day February 10Deadline for Registration of Entrance Forms February 14Inter-House Sports Day (All LJC Parents invited) February 16A & C Classes Visiting Day February 17Second Continuous Assessment February 20-22Entrance Examination March 1B, D & E Classes Visiting Day March 2A & C Classes Visiting Day March 9Mock SSCE begins March 10-14End of Term Examinations March 10-13Second Term Ends: Students leave March 15Kairos Retreat March 15 to 193rd TERM: March 24 – JULY 24, 2008JS-3 & SS-3 Resume (Extension Classes) March 24List of Successful Entrance Exam Candidates published on-line April 1JS-1, JS-2, SS-1 and SS-2 Resume April 6Mock JSCE April 7Interview of Successful Entrance Exam Candidates April 11-12Interview of Successful Entrance Exam Candidates April 18-19Interview of Successful Entrance Exam Candidates April 25-26Publication of Final Entrance list into LJC May 1First Continuous Assessment May 7-9A & C Classes Visiting Day May 18B, D & E Classes Visiting Day May 25Children’s Day May 27JSS-3 Leave for VacationPending NECO timetableCultural DayJune 12 (No Classes)Second Continuous Assessment June 18-20A & C Classes Visiting DayJune 29thB, D & E Classes Visiting Day July 6End of Term Examinations July 14-19Graduation July 20End of Term Activities July 21-23Third Term Ends: Students leave July 24Jesuit Priestly OrdinationRegistration of new students July 28-29SS-1 Leadership Program in Jos July 29-August 9SS-2 Service Program July 30-August 21July 26 (All Loyola Parents and Friends Invited)11

FR. JOHN-OKORIA IBHAKEWANLAN SJTHE PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND QUALITY ASSURANCEbyFr. John-Okoria Ibhakewanlan SJ(Being text of his lecture presented as the Guest Speaker at the 2007 Dinner /Award Night of the National Association of Proprietors of PrivateSchools at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on the 29th of November 2007)1. IntroductionThe honorable Minister of the FCT, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar; the Secretary for Education for the FederalCapital Territory, Mrs. Filicita Olajide; President of the National Association of Proprietors of PrivateSchools—Abuja; other distinguished guests, and you the noble colleagues of NAPPS (National Association ofProprietors of Private Schools), warm greetings to you all. My presentation to you is in six parts. First, I willbriefly state what I see as our identity as proprietors of Private Schools. Secondly, I will explain what shouldbe our relationship with the Government, namely, that of collaboration and support. After a brief clarificationof what exactly is the task we refer to as Quality Assurance, my third point, I will then give you my centralmessage, ‘Quality Assurance and the Students in our Institutions.’ After some words of recommendation, myconclusion is a six-sentence paragraph ultimately reiterating the value of cura personalis (Latin for "care forthe whole person") in the education of the children entrusted to us.2. Our Identity as Proprietors of Private SchoolsWe have received a vocation, a calling, to give solid intellectual and moral training to young people. We aregathered here as a group that has distinguished itself in providing such quality education to many of the childrenin this country. And we want to continue to distinguish ourselves in that regard. We are a group thatwants to ensure quality education, not just by building more physical structures and acquiring more equipmentfor our schools, rather by improving the nature and the quality of formation and transformation takingplace in the children entrusted us. This is the thrust of my presentation: the children! They are our greatesttreasures as educationists, and I will return to them later.3. Our Collaboration with Government on Quality AssuranceAs private schools, we also exist to complement the government’s efforts, to help achieve what the publicschools cannot realistically achieve because of the large number of children in the school system at this pointin Nigeria’s history. According to the provisional results of the March 2006 census, Nigeria's population experienceda 63 percent increase in the last 15 years. This means a preponderance of children (about 15 andbelow) for us to educate. Many countries of the Western world had a similar pattern of population growthduring the 1950s, struggling to provide basic facilities for their people. They responded by investing greatlyin education. Even after their birth rate slowed down over the years, their spending on education as a proportionof GDP did not fall. Instead, those Western countries increased the depth of education with more oftheir children remaining in school until year 12 (the true meaning of UBE!) and more going to university.This increase in the depth of education had much positive effect on improved productivity, as those bettereducated children later flowed into the workforce. In addition, fortunately for them, they did not have toomany kleptocratic regimes.The point here is that the task of education will not be easy for the Nigerian government for some years tocome. I strongly believe, though, that the present preponderance of children in the Nigerian population is ablessing of the grandest dimension—ignore Malthus’ theory! This is not an optimism that lacks realism. Thepreponderance of children could indeed become a major problem, as the neo-Malthusians would have us believe,but that is only if we do not now begin to provide mass primary and secondary education. The ‘humancapital’ necessary for development refers essentially to those who have received quality education. To be furtherrealistic, despite our significant oil resources, it would be difficult for the government (note, I am not sayingit is impossible) to provide such mass primary and secondary education and still ensure the kind of qualitythat exists in our private schools. Hence our role as proprietors of private schools will remain absolutelyessential in this country for a minimum of another 20 years. (Of course, that time frame will be longer if thisnation returns to the era of ‘kleptocracy’). In my recommendations later, I will cite a few examples of how thegovernment can effectively collaborate with proprietors of private schools as incentive for Quality Assurance12

FR. JOHN-OKORIA IBHAKEWANLAN SJTHE PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE (Contd.)—as incentive for providing our children with quality education. Providing our children with quality educationis ultimately the task and the goal of Quality Assurance.4. The Task of Quality Assurance:Simply put, the term Quality Assurance is used in referring to the various means and efforts directed towardsassuring quality in schools. Unfortunately, when you receive one of those visits from the inspectors of theMinistry of Education, you sometimes get the impression that quality assurance means finding out the faultsin an institution. This is not to say that the inspectors should gloss over real problems and presume all is well.Of course, to ensure "academic quality assurance" the ‘paper work’ must cover areas such as (a) the curriculum(b) an acceptable policy statement on the administration and operation of the school (c) accreditation (d)teacher certification (e) the length of the academic year (f) the length of the academic day (g) school archiveof permanent records (h) compliance with environmental, health and fire safety requirements, etc. At the endof the day, the goal is to honestly find out if teaching and student-learning are meeting all the set academicobjectives. Bureaucracy should not detract from that goal. If the process of quality assurance does not gobeyond bureaucracy, the process will not be able to detect certain undercurrents or subtle factors such as ananti-learning culture in the student body. This is where we come in as private educators with a manageablenumber of students within our institutions.5. Quality Assurance and the Students in our InstitutionsI said earlier that our attempt to assure quality education must focus on our greatest treasures as educationists:our students. Our primary task of forming and transforming the children entrusted to us must be approachedwith the right pedagogy, one that addresses as well the issues that fall outside the school curriculum(please see separate handout on LJC Personal and Social Education). My school, Loyola Jesuit College,depends heavily on the IPP (Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm) whose main elements are: experience, reflectionand action. For quality assurance, the three elements must further include a pre-learning element, thatof context, and a post-learning element, that of evaluation. At the heart of this paradigm is the cura personalis,the personal care and concern for every student. I dare to suggest to us all that this should be the hallmarkof whatever system or approach we adopt as educators in our various institutions. Otherwise, howeverperfect your system may be, we could become frustrated by the individuality that our children bring to us.Cura personalis enables the process of quality assurance to distinguish between education and conditioning.We can holistically educate our students by paying attention to these three (among others) areas:5.1 The Stimulus-Response Presupposition: In the bureaucracy of quality assurance, there is a presupposition.The assumption we make is rooted in the stimulus-response principle in Psychology. We presupposethat every student will respond to our school’s system of education. Hence we sometimes certifyquality based on available documents, without due consideration given to what may be happeninginside the student or among the student body. In other words, although we may offer an excellent systemof education, each student must still have to choose and determine how much response he or shewants to give to the system. There are many factors that go to determine the student’s level of response.Chief among these is the need-drive.5.2 The Place of Need in Student Motivation: To what extent does the student see what the school offersas an urgent and important need. A student is a human being with needs. We are driven and internallymotivated by our needs, ultimately for survival. How many children see their education in termsof their own needs? How can we make the students see their needs in terms of what we (educators,the government, parents and teachers) consider as value within the educational system. Parents havemuch role to play here. The parents of our students should not expect their children to perform extraordinarilywell if they unconsciously make their wards believe that whether they do well or not inschool their ‘well-being’ (satisfaction of their needs) is assured. If school is not related to the thingsthe children consider as their needs (such as their need for love and fun) their motivation or responseto the school’s system will be weak. Such a student will not be highly interested in the academic subjectsbut would rather look forward to games, Visiting Days and holidays. At the core of all this is thestudent’s attitude towards school. You sometimes find students who perform poorly in their academicsbut do well in sports and social events. Obviously, those latter events satisfy the student’s need foracceptance or fun. The same is true of discipline. Ultimately, a student does not want to break school13

FR. JOHN-OKORIA IBHAKEWANLAN SJrules because the school is central to the fulfillment of some of his or her deepest needs. Otherwise,they may obey out of fear of punishment but with no interior transformation.5.3 The Danger of Competition: Lastly, we need to pay attention to what competition may be doing to ourstudents. There is a natural tendency for human beings to shun competitions in which they do nothave a good chance of winning. For some students, it can be discouraging when the same studentsalways win the medals. Their motivation reduces because they no longer see school as satisfying theirneed for self-esteem. The good students on the other hand experience increased motivation. How dowe as a school avoid increasing the gap between those who are motivated and those who are eitherdiscouraged or distracted? In my school, teachers are encouraged to put weak or uninvolved studentsin learning teams. But there is a limit to what cooperative learning can achieve in an atmosphere ofcompetition. What is the ultimate value of maintaining the ranking system? Should the test resultsmerely analyze each student’s strengths and weaknesses, without comparing him or her to others? Inanswering these questions, we must nonetheless take into consideration the value of having a youngperson grow into self-identity through a social system of testing him/herself against others (a preparationfor life in the real world). My principal (when I was a teacher in 1996) once told me that it made alot of difference to him when he first realized that he was always the first to finish any mathematicsclass exercise and still had the highest score. We may never be able to rule out competition, as evidentin the widespread experience of sibling rivalry, so the goal may rather be achieving a healthycompetition that cares for the non-winners.Cura personalis will help to address some of the disadvantages of competition. This care for the wholeperson can reveal to us other ways we can improve the quality of formation and transformation takingplace in our students, such as mentoring, student self-evaluation, PSE, training the students in decisionmaking. In the case of decision making, of course, the educator would have to ensure that thestudent’s training is not biased by the instructor’s value judgment/system.6. Some RecommendationsI appeal to the government to enter into a supportive relationship with the private schools, rather than relateto them as commercial outfits. Recently, the Abuja VIO (Vehicle Inspection Officers) arrested one of my driversbecause the school vehicle he was driving had a private number plate. In spite of several appeals and visitsto the VIO office, the officers insisted that the school truck must carry a commercial number plate. Aschool! In an ideal setting, should school buses operated by approved private schools not be exempt from thepayment of vehicle license fees? There could also be tax rebates, assistance with scholarships, constant electricity,subventions, etc. Far from those ideals, there is rather the perception that private schools are commercialinstitutions that make huge profits. In that case, maybe the Government should pay the fees of the childrenon scholarship in private schools—in line with UBE (Government to provide free basic education for allNigerian children). Despite what may seem like high fees charged by our private institutions, providingquality education is expensive. For example, this term alone, I have already paid out more than five millionNaira for the purchase of diesel for the generators in my school. For any school in Nigeria today to maintainits quality, that is a necessary expense. Among other equipment, the internet server, for example, requires theconstant electricity that PHCN is still unable to provide. With an entry-level annual fee, as in my case, ofN631, 500 (covering tuition, room, board, books, uniforms, Insurance, PTA dues, etc) what profit is there tomake? Yet some of my noble colleagues here charge lesser fees than I do. Some may charge more. The differencebetween our various fees is most likely taken-up in the difference in our various staff salaries. Whatevermay be the case in our individual institutions, be it known that a profit-making objective and quality assurancedo not ultimately go together. The day you make profit your primary goal is the day your quality beginsto fall.7. CONCLUSIONTo conclude, let us remember that quality assurance in education must not be reduced to the fulfillment ofbureaucratic requirements. We must replace conditioning (the legacy of behaviorist educators) with a holisticeducation. Animals can be conditioned but cannot be educated. Every one of our students has a soul, mindand conscience. Our personal care and concern for our children (cura personalis, "care for the whole person")will help us ensure quality, that every one of them receive a holistic and quality education. Thank you.14

ODDS‘N’100% is Excellence; How about 101%?.From a strictly mathematical viewpoint, what equals100%? What will get you close? Or what will even get youMORE than 100%? Here's a little mathematical formulathat will help answer these questions:If:A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U,V, W, X, Y, Z = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26Then it implies that:K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E=11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 =96%H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11= 98%A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E = 1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D =2+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 =101%Hence one can conclude with mathematical certainty:Knowledge gets you closeHard Work gets you closerAttitude gets you thereLove of God puts you over the top!Mr. Michael Ogunbayo(LJC Math Teacher)THE FIRST TIMEThe first time I went on a ‘date’It was with a class mate.The first time on a carI got a scar.The first time I really took timeIt did not cost a dime.The first time I saw a flowerI also tasted raw flour.The first time I saw steelIt had written on it ‘do not steal.’The first time I saw the seaMy mother said ‘baby, see!’The first time I over-ateIt was at eight.The first time I saw an amazing sceneI was lucky, because it had never be seen.Ife Gbeleyi (JS-2A)Listen – Big Daddy is CallingI alone in the dark, no one to love me,Not even to care for me, and then I hear my name.It’s so dark outside, and it’s chilly too,the fog is thick, and I can hardly see.I try to listen, yet all there is, is silence.I try to speak, but my words never catch the air.The darkness is growing, there’s no one around,No one to show me the way. But now I can hear!There was a still small voice. And he spoke to me,then he called out to me, ‘give me your hand.’I was scared at first, but then he said to me,‘It’s daddy give me your hand. You’ re safe now.’-Azodoh Chisom (SS-2B)FACE TO FACEI’ d like to travel around the worldGet a chance to see boys and girls of other landsLet them see me; I’ d like to meet them face to faceGet to know their names.I’d like to visit their homes, their families to share.To sit and talk with them and learn to play games.I’ d like to taste their food, see the clothes they wearI’d like to know them well before my journey’s end.Only if you know someone can they become your friendOnyemauche Nwigwe (JS-2A)CHANGEWe cannot seat and fold our armsWhile we die from withinWe cannot behave like nothing’s happeningWhile our brothers die like chickens. We cannot…Only we can stamp it outCreate a better path for our daughtersMake the bush a great grasslandsAnd stop what must not happenA bridge was born a long time agoConnecting our fathers and our sonsFor if that bridge falls, we have failed usFailed our fathers, sons and mothersWe need it now; we need it hereChange, we must change it.-Afolabi F. Adekaiyaoja (JS –3B)15