Emeritus professor of education at the University of Lagos, Cornelius Olaleye Taiwo, celebrated his 100 birthday anniversary in Lagos last month. Before the celebration, the renowned educationist and former Permanent Secretary in the disbanded Western Region Government of the First Republic, shared his experience as a school boy with OLABISI DEJI-FOLUTILE. Can you remember your first day in school?
I went to St Luke’s School in Oru, Ijebu, Ogun State. It was a mission primary school administered by St Luke’s Church, Oru, Ijebu. My parents were church leaders. I was five years old when my mother took me to church to meet the teachers. She was the one that decided that I ought to be in school so when she took me to the headmaster and told him that she wanted me to start school, the headmaster agreed because the teachers respected my parents as church leaders and I was registered at St. Luke’s School in Oru, Ijebu, But I later left the school for a bigger one because it was a small school. When I was in Standard One, I had a double promotion to Standard Three.
What was your best subject?
That is an interesting question. My best subjects were mathematics and physics.
That is quite interesting. Why did you like subjects that most people were afraid of?
Different things were responsible for my preference. First, I left my former school for a bigger school when I was in Standard 1 and when I got to my new school, the head teacher asked everyone in Standard 1,2 and 3 to get ready for examination. The teacher said, ‘I shall give you addition, multiplication, division and algebra and anybody that pass, I will promote.’ So we wrote the test and I passed and I was promoted to Standard three. Again, the head teacher came and said,’ I will teach you maths, addition, subtraction and multiplication and I will give you a test.’ We wrote the test and the teacher came and said, ‘Cornelius Olaleye Taiwo, I promote you to Standard Three.’
At the end of that year, I took the first position in my class and I got a prize. The same thing happened when I was in Standard 4. Maths was an interesting subject for me. My father also liked maths and he was a lay reader at the church.
What was your best food in secondary school?
I can’t remember the food. They used to bring food to us from outside but all I know is that the food was very good, everybody was satisfied. Nobody had any reason to complain about food.
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