Omoluorogbo Grammar School, Akure, is set to mark its 50th anniversary with plans to raise ₦100 million for infrastructure development, as its old students prepare to commission a new administrative block and lay the foundation for a four-classroom building.

The three-day golden jubilee, scheduled for October 29–31, 2026, will bring together alumni, education stakeholders, traditional rulers and government officials to celebrate the school’s history and discuss its future.

The planned fundraising drive, known as the Golden Jubilee Legacy Project, is expected to support the institution’s infrastructure needs beyond the anniversary celebrations.

Alumni target infrastructure development

Hon. Kayode Akinmade, chairman of the OGSA 50th Anniversary Implementation and Planning Committee, said the anniversary would recognise the school’s achievements over five decades while mobilising resources for its continued development.

He called on alumni, government institutions, corporate organisations, philanthropists, community leaders and friends of the school to support the ₦100 million initiative.

The programme will also feature the commissioning of a new administrative block and the foundation-laying ceremony for a four-classroom block to be built by the Old Students’ Association.

The committee has not provided a breakdown of the proposed ₦100 million budget or a timeline for completing the legacy project.

Also Read: NIPR Ogun Promotes Ethical Communication Ahead of WPRF Abuja 2026 

What to expect during the anniversary

The celebration, themed “Celebrating Our Legacy, Shaping the Future,” will run from Thursday, October 29, to Saturday, October 31, under the anniversary banner, Omoluorogbo Grammar School, Akure @ 50: 1976–2026.

Activities on Thursday will include an interdenominational thanksgiving service and a history and heritage session examining the school’s journey since its establishment.

Friday’s programme will feature an alumni reunion, career mentorship and the school’s inter-house sports competition.

The grand finale on Saturday will include goodwill messages, an anniversary lecture, cultural performances, recognition of distinguished alumni and contributors, and the launch of the Golden Jubilee Legacy Project.

FUOYE lecturer to deliver anniversary lecture

Dr Alaba Mogaji, a senior lecturer at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State, and an alumnus of the school, is scheduled to deliver the anniversary lecture.

His address is expected to examine the institution’s future and challenges facing education.

Organisers say the event will provide an opportunity for former students and other stakeholders to renew their commitment to the school’s development.

Governor, traditional ruler among expected guests

Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the Deji of Akureland, senators and other prominent personalities are expected to attend the anniversary.

Their anticipated participation places the school’s milestone celebration within a wider gathering of public officials, traditional institutions, education stakeholders and members of the community.

However, the planning committee’s announcement does not confirm individual attendance.

Beyond the golden jubilee

The anniversary’s long-term significance will depend partly on how the proposed legacy project translates into completed infrastructure and sustained support for the school.

The planned classroom block and fundraising initiative are intended to direct attention beyond the festivities towards the institution’s future needs.

For alumni and other supporters, the anniversary offers an opportunity to contribute to a school that has completed five decades of educational activity in Akure.

Anniversary details

– Institution: Omoluorogbo Grammar School, Akure

– Dates: October 29–31, 2026

– Theme: Celebrating Our Legacy, Shaping the Future

– Fundraising target: ₦100 million

– Key projects: Administrative block commissioning and foundation-laying for a four-classroom block

– Anniversary lecturer: Dr Alaba Mogaji, FUOYE

Source: OGSA 50th Anniversary Implementation and Planning Committee.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has received a Federal Ministry of Education Special Recognition Award, with the Ondo State Government describing the honour as the Best Governor in Education award.

Aiyedatiwa received the recognition on Monday at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day Commemoration and President’s Teachers’ and Schools’ Excellence Awards at Eagle Square, Abuja.

The recognition comes as Ondo State highlights a series of interventions in teacher recruitment, school infrastructure, examination funding, tertiary student support and the introduction of digital learning tools.

The Federal Government’s President’s Teachers’ and Schools’ Excellence Awards programme says its selection process involves nominations, assessment against approved criteria and final approval before winners are announced at the World Teachers’ Day ceremony.

From classrooms to digital learning

Aiyedatiwa said his administration recruited more than 2,100 teachers into public primary and secondary schools in 2025.

He also cited professional development programmes covering digital and pedagogical training, climate-smart instruction and quality assurance.

On school infrastructure, the governor said 43 new classroom blocks were constructed in 2025 at a cost of about N3.1 billion, while 75 schools were completely renovated.

The government also procured 8,500 learners’ furniture and 1,200 teachers’ furniture, alongside textbooks, sports equipment and other learning materials.

According to Aiyedatiwa, learning resources worth more than N150 million were distributed across Ondo’s three senatorial districts, while computer textbooks were provided to learners across the state’s 18 local government areas.

The figures form the core of the administration’s case for the recognition, although the award itself is a recognition by the Federal Ministry rather than an independent assessment of every aspect of the state’s education system.

The money behind access to education

The governor also highlighted spending aimed at reducing the financial burden on families.

He said the state paid N633.9 million for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination registration of 23,048 students in public schools, while National Business and Technical Examinations Board examinations were fully sponsored.

For tertiary students, Aiyedatiwa said the government committed N350 million to bursary and scholarship support in 2025 and N400 million in 2026.

He added that the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission provided N286.7 million in bursaries to 4,837 students.

The figures are significant because examination and education-related costs can determine whether students from lower-income households remain in school or complete key stages of their education.

Teachers’ welfare remains a key test

Aiyedatiwa dedicated the recognition to teachers across Ondo State and said his experience as a former teacher had influenced his approach to education.

“This honour is gratefully accepted, not as a personal award, but as a tribute to the teachers of Ondo State,” he said.

The governor said teachers in urban centres, communities and difficult circumstances deserved recognition for work that often received little public attention.

“Your work is foundational. Your influence is often invisible, but its significance is enduring,” he said.

He also said teachers’ salaries and allowances had been paid regularly, while the government was addressing inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired public servants, including retired teachers.

“This is not merely a fulfilment of an obligation; it is a message to those still in service that government remembers their sacrifice and that their future is secure,” Aiyedatiwa said.

His comments come against a wider national debate over teachers’ welfare. At the 2026 World Teachers’ Day events, the Nigeria Union of Teachers called for a shift from commitments to implementation and sustained investment in the profession.

Also Read: So-Safe Corps Hands Two Suspected Burglars to Police in Ogun 

AI enters Ondo classrooms

Another part of the governor’s education agenda is the move towards digital learning.

Aiyedatiwa said the state’s partnership with EIDU had introduced AI-powered learning tools, smartphones and structured literacy programmes.

He said thousands of tablets had also been deployed in public schools, while laptops were being provided to digitally trained teachers as part of preparations for robotics, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

The Federal Ministry of Education has itself placed technology and professional transformation at the centre of its 2026 education agenda, including innovation, mobility, artificial intelligence, inclusion and professional excellence.

For Ondo, the challenge will be ensuring that digital tools complement rather than replace the fundamentals of education — qualified teachers, functioning classrooms, learning materials and reliable access to schools.

New institutions planned

Beyond primary and secondary education, Aiyedatiwa said his administration had approved the establishment of a College of Nursing at Igbokoda and a College of Education at Aboto.

He said the initiatives were intended to expand opportunities for professional training and teacher education.

In August, the governor also approved a 60 per cent increase in monthly subventions to state-owned tertiary institutions and the implementation of the Federal Government-unions agreement covering relevant state institutions.

What the Federal Government said

Education Minister Tunji Alausa described teachers as among the most important people in society, stressing their role in preparing Nigerian children and young people for the future.

He said teachers needed opportunities for professional development and recognition as technology and artificial intelligence continued to change the learning environment.

The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, said teacher welfare and retention remained priorities for the Federal Government.

“Those expectations are reasonable. So is a teacher’s expectation of good preparation, useful material, fair treatment, safety, timely career progression and respect,” she said.

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Titus Amba, represented at the event by Deputy National President Kizito Kalu, said the status given to teachers reflected the value a country placed on its future.

He called for a move “from celebration to action, from promises to implementation and from recognition to sustained investment”.

Why the award matters

The recognition gives national visibility to Ondo State’s education interventions, but its longer-term significance will depend on whether the investments translate into better learning conditions and outcomes for pupils and teachers.

For Aiyedatiwa, the award is an endorsement of an education strategy built around recruitment, infrastructure, welfare, access and technology.

For teachers and learners, however, the more immediate question is whether those investments can be sustained and expanded across the state.

Aiyedatiwa said the objective was bigger than the award itself.

“If we truly desire a knowledge-driven society, we must give teachers the tools to teach, the environment to work, the dignity they deserve and the opportunity to continually renew their knowledge,” he said.

“When we educate a child, we do more than change one life. We strengthen a family, enlarge the possibilities of a community and increase the productive capacity of a State,” he added.

The Press Society (TPS) has called for greater investment in teachers as education systems adapt to artificial intelligence, digital learning and rapidly changing access to information.

In a World Teachers’ Day message, the media organisation said technology may be transforming how knowledge is delivered, but teachers remain central to helping learners understand, develop confidence and navigate the world around them.

TPS made the call as teachers in Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world mark World Teachers’ Day 2026.

Beyond the classroom

The organisation described teachers as an often-overlooked force behind the development of professionals and leaders across different sectors.

“Every doctor, engineer, journalist, scientist, entrepreneur, leader, artist and professional once sat before a teacher,” TPS said.

It noted that the influence of teachers extends beyond lessons and examinations, particularly when educators encourage students who may be struggling academically or personally.

TPS also acknowledged teachers working in difficult environments, including crowded classrooms, rural communities and conflict-affected areas where access to educational resources may be limited.

Also Read: 2027 Elections: Media, CSOs Warn of Information Gaps, Voter Data Risks 

Why teachers still matter in the AI era

The growing use of artificial intelligence and digital learning tools has changed access to information, but TPS argued that information alone cannot replace the human relationship at the heart of education.

“In an age of artificial intelligence, digital learning and instant access to information, one thing remains uniquely human: the ability to inspire, understand, guide and believe in another person,” the organisation said.

The statement places renewed attention on the distinction between access to information and education itself.

While technology can help learners find information quickly, teachers continue to play a role in helping students interpret information, build character, develop critical thinking and recognise their own potential.

Call for better conditions for teachers

TPS also used the occasion to call on governments and wider society to improve the conditions under which teachers work.

It said teachers should receive the “respect, protection, resources, remuneration and professional support” necessary to perform their roles effectively.

The call is particularly relevant to teachers working with limited resources, where challenges such as overcrowded classrooms and inadequate learning materials can affect both educators and students.

For TPS, recognising teachers should therefore go beyond annual tributes and celebrations to include sustained institutional support.

A message to teachers

The organisation praised teachers who arrive early, stay late, use personal resources to support learners and patiently repeat lessons until students understand.

It also highlighted educators who identify potential in children who may have lost confidence in themselves.

“Your work may not always make the news, but generations are living proof of your impact,” TPS said.

The organisation described teaching as a profession whose influence can continue long after students leave the classroom.

The wider significance

World Teachers’ Day offers an opportunity to consider not only what teachers do for students but also what societies owe the people responsible for educating future generations.

As schools increasingly incorporate digital tools and AI into learning, TPS’s message places teachers at the centre of the conversation about how education should evolve without losing its human dimension.

The Press Society concluded its message by thanking teachers for “teaching minds”, “shaping character”, “nurturing dreams” and “building generations”.

Happy World Teachers’ Day 2026.