
By Oluwatise Benson
As the summer curtain closes and a new academic session kicks off, the anticipation from students, parents, and teachers is noticeable. From the busy streets to noisy classrooms, Nigerian students cannot hide their excitement, they’re eager to embark on a new academic session. While parents are focused on providing the necessary stationery and preparing for the obstacles & opportunities for success ahead, the kids spend the nights dreaming of the friends and bonds they’ll form with teachers and their fellow students.
For pupils, the start of a new session proposes a clean slate, a chance to set new goals, make new friends, and overcome difficult subjects. Whether in primary, secondary, or tertiary school, the excitement of returning to school is omnipresent. The joy and anxiety of seeing new faces, rekindling old friendships, seeing faces of new and old teachers and lecturers, and the emotions of resuming school are always all over the place.
“I am looking forward to making new friends,” Opeyemi says, a 12-year JSS3 student. “I struggled with maths last term because I’m not good with numbers” 16-year-old Omoju Oluwanifemi revealed, further stating that she wants to improve on the subject by “solving past questions, meeting my teachers and the best student in my class. Opeyemi is looking forward to his ICT class because “her class is always interactive and fun.”
These students understand the pressure to excel academically, they go as far as making promises to their parents, promises of doing better than they did last term. 11-year-old Ayomikun, who was 2 A’s short of entering the “honor roll” in school, promised his mom during their prize-giving day to “do better next term and do everything within my power to be on that list next term.” His mom, Mrs. Ogidiolu, felt his determination through his words and promised to help him do better, she said; “I am determined to help him do better too, make sure he does his assignment at the appropriate time, do daily revision with him and provide stationeries for projects and assignments for him.”
Their academics aren’t the only thing giving them excitement, their social life is also something most of these students are looking forward to, the interactions, friendships, and experiences they gain from social activities shape their personalities, build their confidence, and often create lasting memories. 12-year-old Ayanfe Adenekan made it known that “playing drums on the assembly has made him more popular in the school” and that has made it easy for him to make friends and is also looking forward to meeting new people, seniors, juniors, and classmates. 16-year-old Adebayo Victoria said that “being vice president of the student fellowship has helped me know more about people and also spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Belonging to a social group, and participating in school events help these students not only develop academic excellence but also essential life skills.
It is not only the students who have expectations and goals for the coming academic session, their parents/guardians and teachers also have goals. A private lesson teacher of Basic Science and Health Education, he asked his students to call him Zico, and has set his goals for this session. He is determined to increase the engagement and motivation between himself and his students, “one of my goals for this academic session is to encourage feedback, peer review, and constructive criticism” he said. Oke Serah, a Biology teacher at Hollab Group of Schools had to re-polish her knowledge of Biology over the summer break and looking to implement what she called “Project Based Learning and more group projects to not just enhance academic excellence but also encourage social interaction in my class.” Zico is looking to adopt “Micro-learning, by breaking lessons into shorter focused chunks, it’ll help them for better recitation.”
These teachers believe that regardless of the downside of technology, it can play a role in academics, especially in subjects like physics, chemistry, biology, computer, mathematics, technical drawing, and geography through videos, 3D models, and interactive activities. Students have access to substantial educational materials, including e-books, articles, and tutorials that contradict traditional textbooks, Serah accepts that “I understand that not all parents can afford digital gadgets for their kids but the school can instead provide them.”
She also expects improved relationships between parents and teachers, “Helping their children with assignments and projects will be a good start.” She further stated that parents and guardians should allow teachers to do their job rather than throwing tantrums in school after correcting their children, she expressed her disgust with parents who don’t let school authorities and teachers discipline their children, “You don’t only learn academics, the school is another platform for home training and parents coming to fight school and teachers when their child/children are punished needs to stop in this academic session.”
Mrs. Ogidiolu wants schools to be as strict with teachers as they are with their students, she shared an experience of a teacher in her children’s school who only comes to class to “eat, drink, sleep and assigns dictations to the class captain.” She revealed, stressing that this coming session, she wants more responsibility from the teachers too.
Regardless of the preparations, excitements, and expectations, parents are still worried, they have their concerns for the session to come, and although Mrs. Adekeye said that she isn’t worried about this academic year “because I know God is at work.” She has transferred her encouragement to her kids, motivating them to stay focused, regardless of the outcome of their test or exam results, rather than beat or punish her kids for not meeting the passing grade set for them, she instead takes the responsibility upon herself to make sure they do better than the previous year. “I tell my kids that failure is also part of success recorded, we’ve had a routine of treating errors and mistakes openly.” Mrs. Ogidiolu and Mrs. Bakare share the same fear, the increase in transportation and fuel prices is their main cause of concern for this session. “Transportation is one of my many worries because the fare is almost, if not, double what it used to be.” The financial aspect is another cause of concern for these parents, with the economic situation of the country, parents expect transparent communication about fees, asking for reasonable increases, and flexible payment options to ease the burden, while some parents with more than a kid in the school negotiate for discount prizes.
As the new academic draws start, parents, teachers, and students are on the same page concerning what they want out of the academic session. They all want growth and success for the next 9 months. While parents focus on academic achievement, character development, and safety, students look forward to learning, friendships, and “finding X”.
In this shared journey, the role of schools is crucial. By providing quality education, fostering a safe and supportive environment, and offering opportunities for holistic growth, schools can help meet the high expectations of both parents and students. The new academic session is a time of hope, ambition, and the desire for progress, a reminder that education remains the most powerful tool for shaping the future. Welcome back to school.