The Vom Old Boys Association (VOBA), has donated N2.4 million to 87 teachers of its Alma Mater, the St. Joseph’s College, Vom, near Jos in Plateau.
Mr Paulinus Ayatse, the National President of the association disclosed this at the end of its 2020 Annual National Convention on Sunday in Vom.
The annual convention coincided with the golden and Silver Jubilees celebration of the 1970 and 1995 sets of the college, respectively.
According to Ayatse, the gesture is aimed at cushioning the hardship occasioned by the advent of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the world.
He said the old students were moved to support their former tutors, owing to the fact that the college is a private institute that depended solely on the students school fees to pay the wages of it’s workers.
“We experienced series of lockdown due to the advent of COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the world. St Joseph College being a private institution, teachers stayed at home for four months without salaries. So, we were able to pull out N2.4 million from our various chapters, sets and individual donations and shared it among the 87 teachers to cushion the effect of the pandemic”.
Ayatse added that plans were underway to carry out similar gesture for its indigent members as well.
“Currently, we have plans to support 100 of our members with cash. Already, we have another N2.4 million for that and more donations are still coming in to support the move. Some of our members are teachers in private schools; they are also affected by the pandemic, and we also need to provide some palliative for them to survive”.
The national president, who was relected alongside his executive at the convention for another two-year tenure, promised to work toward a more united and vibrant VOBA.
He also promised to commence the building of a national secretariat for the association in his second term.
On his part, Mr Daniel Bingel, the Chairman of the local organising committee for the silver jubilee, decried the falling standard of the college.
“From the principal’s report, the total population of students in the college is just 397 and only 188 resumed after the COVID-19 break. This simply means that something is fundamentally wrong that hindered parents from sending their children to the college”.
Bingel called on the management of the college to wake up from its slumber and fashion out ways of making the institution more attractive and to regain its lost glory.
