Mr, Oyeleye Raphael has over the weekend presided over the graduation ceremony, speech, and prize-giving day of Overcomer School, an event held on the school premises in Dippa Kunda.
Addressing the gathering as the Guest Speaker, Mr. Oyeleyethanked the people who contributed to making the day a success.
He added that despite the challenges the school encountered this year, there are important objectives that the schools have been able to achieve in the 2022/23 academic year, noting the NAT results were excellent and the students who graduated from grades 6-7 to junior secondary school are doing very well.
He pointed out that for internal exams, 75% of the students were able to make an excellent result into the next classes respectively, while there is a cordial relationship between teachers and pupils.
However, he stated that some of the challenges experienced in the school are that “some parents found it difficult to pay their children’s school fees on time. Some pay almost at the end of the term, others don’t pay at all for the term.”
This, he said is a great handicap to the proprietress hence the payment of the teachers is from the school fees and delay of payment will delay the salary of the teachers and the proprieties has to find other sources to pay the teacher’s salary.
“Other challenges are parents don’t attend the meeting, school functions which shows a lack of interest in their children’s education. Some parents behave in a hostile manner to the teachers, which suppose not to be,” he stated.
Mr. Raphael added that 95% of the staff is cooperating, responsible, and respectful to the school authority. “There are few who do not comply with the rule of the school but we hope to see them take a U-turn for the better in the next academic year.”
Meanwhile, he advised the parents to spend quality time with their children daily no matter how busy or tired they are, help them with their homework, listen to whatever problem they have, don’t dismissed or ignored them, keep them clean watch their bags for any foreign items, give them adequate lunch, help them to develop a high self-esteemed, and teach them contentment.
In conclusion, he extolled the Government of the Gambia allowing the establishment of the school and contributing to the development of the country through education.