Nigeria- Tuesday, 30th March 2021: The Education Director of the Mind Builders School, Mrs. Bolajoko Falore, has described the first position in The Ultimate Mathematics Ambassador (TUMA) 2021 competition won by  Henry Oghenetejiri Esemitodje, as a success well prepared for.

Mrs. Falore, in an Exclusive Interview with CEOAFRICA on Sunday, disclosed that Mind Builders School had been going for the competition and desiring to come first for the past four years, adding that it served as a driving force to prepare Henry very well for this year competition.

She said “This isn’t actually the first time we are entering the competition. We’ve been trying it for the past four years. Last year, this same boy Henry Oghenetejiri came third while he was in Primary five in that competition that was within Lagos State and Ogun State where we had about 1,365 schools competing.

Speaking further, Mrs. Bolajoko said “I usually encourage them that third position is not the best, they have all it takes; it is just a little effort and they’ll get there.

“The boy was in Primary 5 last year, and with the consent and support of the parents, he came back to complete his Primary six education. He went in again for the same competition.

“There were twelve of them that went for the twelfth round. At the end of the second round, we had another six that qualified for the last stage, and Henry came third alongside one thousand five hundred schools that participated in the year 2020 competition.

“So it was a success we planned for, we’ve actually been looking at something like this coming to our school, and eventually it came.”

The Ultimate Mathematics Ambassador competition, which is an annual competition, was organized by the Ambassadors School, Ota, to groom pupils in national and international competitions and examinations like Cowbellpedia, InterswitchSPAK, International Mathematics Olympiads, Cambridge IGSE, A-Levels, and others.

Falore commended Henry’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Igho Esemitodje, for their support and commitment to their son’s education.

“I want to give kudos to the parents of Henry, they actually cooperated and they had quality time for that boy and their children generally.  Some parents neglect their children and rather go after money,” she stated.

The Education Director charged parents to give room for their children or wards to prepare well for any forthcoming exams, especially those at the terminal classes.

“I want to appeal to parents to allow their children to complete the full curriculum which is Primary Six, because by the time they’re seating for their entrance exams, the maturity will be there, their emotional quotient is there,” she urged.

Mrs Falore Boasted that next year TUMA competition would still be won by Mind Builders School, adding that the core values of the school are motivations that drive both the teachers and pupils towards excellence.

“We have three core values that have been since the inception of the school. They are commitment, hard work and excellence.

“They have been part and parcel of the school. We look at it from all the pillars of character. We aim towards excellence. But if you don’t have commitment or hard work, you can’t achieve excellence,” she stated.

 Finally, Bolajoko lamented on the state of education in Nigeria, stressing that the education system in the country is producing poor graduates that cannot read or write very well.

The educationist used the medium to call on the government at all levels to take education seriously and shun any form of politicking with education in Nigeria.

She advised that “the government should go back to the drawing board on how to better improve the standard of our educational system in the country.”

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