Sonbeam Prep school , Ibadan visits South West Tourism Sites
October 21, 2015
By Wale Ojo Lanre
Nigerian Tribune
For students to be well educated, they must have not only passed through the school, but also allowed the school to pass through them.
Education is incomplete if it is restricted to the curriculum without a full dose or half a dose of extra-curricular activities and engagements.
And no institution or educational body worth its salt will ever plan educational programme without injection of extra –curricular activities for total development of the students.
Although, some privately-owned institutions particularly in the primary and secondary sectors are not in tune with the stated opinion above as they consider extra-curricular activities as waste of time thus end up producing one way traffic students who are sound in academic, but deficit and deficient in mannerism, cosmopolitanism, civil responsibility and obligation and absolutely oblivion of essential history sites and stories of societal importance.
However, there are a few private institutions which tenaciously ensure that whoever passes through their walls will not only be found worthy in academics, but fit and proper in extracurricular, values and ethics and civil responsibilities.
Sonbeam Preparatory School , New Bodija, Ibadan is one which has distinguished itself from others by ensuring that any pupil passing through it is sound in academics and well grounded in extra-curricular activities.
It is one school which fervently believes in the testament that ‘Travelling is not only part of education, but an integral part of the educational system which must be religiously embraced and experienced by its students.
Hence, since its inception, the school has made it a policy of conducting their students on both local and international tour not just for the fun of it, but in furtherance of knowledge acquisition and environmental awareness.
In line with the policy, the Proprietor of the School, Mrs Bunmi O, Obajimi accompanied by two medical doctors, security officers and a parent, led some students of the school on a “Tour for Knowledge “to Ooni of Ife’s palace, a national museum and Obafemi Awolowo University Museum, all in, Ile-Ife, State of Osun, Erin-Ijesa Waterfall, Erin-Ijesa, State of Osun, Ikogosi Warm and Cold Spring, Ikogosi-Ekiti State and Idanre hills, Idanre, Ondo State. The tour facilitated a robust interaction between the students and some scenic and cultural heritage sites of the South-West part of the country.
The young stars were taken round the Ooni of Ife’s palace where they were informed with support of historical relics why Ile-Ife is being credited as the Cradle of Civilisation and the source of the world.
They also fed their eyes with antiquities and historical monuments being protected at the National Museum, Ile Ife as well as the precious ones being stored at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife respectively.
Having being grounded in History of Yoruba land and seeing with their own eyes evidential materials which supported the glory of the Yoruba race, the students also travelled to Erin-Ijesa, the State of Osun where they had a fascinating moment at the site of Erin Ijesa Waterfall.
The students were dazzled at The Ikogosi Warm and Cold Spring Resort in Ekiti State as they touched and felt with their own hands warm water and cold spring flowing side by side and converged at a point.
The geographical knowledge of the students were broadened and enriched by the time they got to Idanre Hills in Ondo State when they saw the relics of the old Idanre and heard the story of how the people lived on the hills for several years
Acknowledging the benefit of the tour, Master Demilade Ogunbode said “I specially thank Mummy (Mrs Obajimi) for creating this unique opportunity of visiting these wonderful places which we only got to read in books. But now, I am privileged not only to have read them, but to have visited them and seen them with my own eyes. I can now write with vivid description and speak boldly of these places if and whenever the time arises. I have learnt a lot and fed my eyes with spectacular things which will remain in my memory forever”
To Enifeolorun Pinheiro “The whole package was not only educative, informative but also inspiring. It is learning and having fun all the way from Ibadan to Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states. We cannot quantify what we gained during the tour. We had interaction with theory and reality. We went, we saw and we are happy... We resumed to school, refreshed, lively and better exposed. Kudos to Sonbeam School, kudos to Mummy Obajimi and kudos to our parents who strive hard to put us in a school where total education is the watchword!
