>> Certificate English Language At A Goal

Foreword

The idea behind the writing of this book was born out of the desire to give something back to the system that made me, so that other people in the same situation like I was years back can make headway in life.

I cannot but remember my days as a secondary school student in the village, faced with different challenges like monetary incapability, lack of exposure to the outside world for better focus and vision and the fear of stagnation as a result of eventual failure in English Language.

In my time ( I do not know of now), a confident science student can stand up in the class to say " if the Mathematics question is set in Cambridge, I will have an 'A' or 'B' at the least."

The same goes for the Commercial (social sciences) and the Art subjects. I was able to say so too in Literature and Bible Knowledge (B.K now CRK). The only subject that no one was able to stand and confidently boast of was the English Language.

For this singular reason. I decided as a young school boy that I was going to unravel the mystery shrouding the subject, a desire that informed my choice to read English Language as course of study in the university, when my colleagues were gunning for Law and other seemingly lucrative courses ( because the teaching profession then was a 'curse' rather than a blessing.

Having achieved this life ambition and having taught the subject at various level for over a decade, I will not be fulfilled if I cannot reach back to my primary constituency with this 'widows mite' as my contribution to the educational system that produced me. I therefore wish that the book be used first in the old Ondo State i.e the present Ondo and Ekiti states.

It will be an asset to every student who wishes to scale the hurdle of English Language at the secondary level, because many have ended up as village farmers, drivers, artisans and 'nobody' not because they have no ambition to make it in life but they were stagnated due to their inability to make a credit pass in English Language after several attempts - a pre-requisite for admission into any institution of higher learning.

Sola Agunbiade.

(c) 2007

IMAGINE A BRILLIANT VILLAGE BOY OR GIRL IN TATTERED UNIFORM, WITH NO MONEY TO PAY TUITION LET ALONE BUYING TEXTBOOKS. THEY HAVE A FUTURE. YOU CAN HELP FULFIL THEIR DREAMS.
DONATE GENEROUSLY TO SPONSOR COPIES OF THIS BOOK TO ALL THE  SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ONDO STATE. THAT IS OUR DREAM. HELP REACH OUT TO THEM.
SOLA AGUNBIADE

Below are copies of the letters to the Commissioner of Education and Chairman of the Library Board, Ondo State, demonstrating our commitment to and a follow-up on our dream.

21st July, 2009.
Dr (Mrs) Fatogun
The Honorable Commissioner for Education,
State Secretariat, Akure,
Ondo State.
Dear Madam,
SALVAGING ACADEMIC DECAY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ONDO STATE.
The sound of it is deafening. The sight of it is ugly and the crippling effect of moral decadence in our society is a result of the decay in academics. Our children can no longer speak or write good English even as graduates and it is appalling the volume of errors you find on a single page application letter for employment.
The get-rich-quick syndrome has snuffed life out of the regard for hard work, dignity of labour and respect for merit is fast evaporating. An effective communication skill which is the mark of an educated individual relies on a life-supporting machine in the hands of a few good private schools and committed individuals for sustenance.
The terms academic excellence, intellectual prowess and functional education are fast becoming clichés of the past. The speed of decay is faster than the pace of government investment and effort; many generations of youth therefore pass by in waste as the future is destroyed so carelessly without meaning any harm.
Ma, it is not enough just talking about it. It is high time we did something about it. Government alone can no longer solve all the problems and partisan politics has done little or nothing to help the situation.
We at Pen-Write Communications Ltd, owned by bonafide indigenes of Ondo State but based in Lagos therefore decided to take the battle to the home soil. In 2007, a textbook on English Language titled Certificate English Language at a Goal was published by us in collaboration with CSS Bookshops Ltd, Lagos and dedicated to the system of education (in Ondo State) that has produced so many intellectuals.
The vision was to get copies of the book to all secondary schools in the state through state or private sponsorship and the launching took place in August 2008 at the Owena International Hotel, Akure (all the way from Lagos), with good representation of the immediate past government of Dr Olusegun Agagu but nothing came out of it. It was presented for review to the ministry of education for the probability of adoption in the state secondary schools. It has scaled through the review process and has been adopted as a revision text for Senior Secondary classes for the year 2009 -2012 academic sessions.
At this launching, five (5) retired teachers were invited from Akoko North-West Local Government and presented with honorary awards as outstanding teachers during their active service. This also went unnoticed by the previous administration.
As frustrating as all these efforts might be, we refuse to be discouraged. We therefore present to Your Excellency, a new proposal on how to salvage this academic decay together. Our experience in private sector education in Lagos State over the years has equipped us with enough to offer in making a difference in the most vibrant industry we have ever had in our dear Sunshine State.
We therefore solicit your support for this new initiative “Salvaging Academic Decay in Secondary Schools (SADISS) in Ondo State”. Please find time out of your busy schedule to peruse the attached agenda for the implementation of the project.
We will be glad to partner with you for a rapid response to the needed attention to basic communication in our secondary schools.
Attached for your attention are evidences of past efforts that never received adequate attention.
Thank you.
Yours truly,

Agunbiade O.J
C.E.O

10th June,2010.
The Chairman,
Ondo State Library Board,
Oyemekun Road, Akure
Ondo State
Attn: Chief Akinkuowo
Dear Sir,
PROMOTING FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION IN ONDO STATE.
In fufilment of our desire to bring English Language to the doorsteps of all students in Ondo State, the textbook Certificate English Language At A Goal specially written to meet the needs of the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination candidates was published by CSS Bookshops Ltd Lagos in partnership with us (Pen-Write Communications Ltd.)
The textbook was launched in Akure on Saturday 2nd August 2008 and was presented for review to the ministry of education for the probability of adoption in the state secondary schools. It has scaled through the review process and has been adopted as a revision text for Senior Secondary classes for the year 2009 -2012 academic sessions.
To achieve our objective of writing the book which was dedicated to the education system that produced the author, we have volunteered to donate two (2) copies of the textbook to each of the 300 secondary schools in the state for the new academic session 2010-2011 as our widow’s mite to the development of education in the state. (Please read through the FOREWORD of the book for confirmation of our commitment).

We will be very glad to partner with you for the betterment of our people and the development of qualitative education in our state.
We look forward to a positive response from you. Thank you and remain blessed.
Yours truly,

Agunbiade O.J.
C.E.O

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