Childhood: My first Corona Primary School reports

Paper terms for term papers

The durability of the paper is unquestionable to wit that I have been digging through my archives and reading through all sorts of documents.

My oldest enduring personal document is probably my original NHS card which along with the important NHS information also includes the historical details of where we lived in Walsall, West Midlands near Birmingham in the 60s.

I have always had in a drawer close to my office my baptismal certificate given by the Anglican Church in Jos on the 31^st of March 1975, though I did eventually have a real baptism in flowing water in 1987, the dip was a lot better and spiritual than the dab, in my opinion.

The other day, I went for a rummage in my storage room where I was lifting and shifting stuff I should have left to abler people – I broke sweat and retired to deep slumber because it was just so much work.

However, I returned to my apartment with a sheaf of school reports running from primary school through to tertiary institutions. It was nice to review what traits had been formed and which had changed as one grew older.

My oldest school report

For this report dated the 21^st of July 1972, the earliest I can find, when I was 6 years and 7 months and nominally a year below the class average age, I had just finished class 2 and was to go to class 3 in the next term. Though prematurely born, my physical development allowed to be assessed as older and capable - that was in many things but physical exercise. When I was 7 I had size 6 shoes which is 40 in European meansurements.

My conduct was good and the rest of the report read as follows:

Arithmetic: Akinola is currently doing subtraction using the “decomposition” method. We have begun the decimal system and he is quite interested. [We still used hundred weight and other archaic methods then.]

Reading: Fair, He makes slow but steady progress. “Janet & John”, Scheme: “Out and About.” [Our second pet dog after the chicken killer, Brutus died was named Scot after the dog in the Janet & John Series. We had a separate reading teacher who spent up to an hour a week on reading, spelling, pronunciation and other literary skills.]

English: Quite good but could work more quickly.

Story and Composition: Has a tendency to dream – consequently takes a long time to write anything. [What was she talking about?]

Handwriting: Good [I have tried hard to maintain that.]

Geography: Good but doesn’t always listen hard enough. [Come think of it, I can still remember all the 12 states of Nigeria then and most of their military governors – probably wasn’t much of an interesting class.]

History: [Seems to have been combined with Geography, I have ditto marks in the space for remarks.]

Nature: Good. [I loved the carrots we planted in the school garden.]

Art: Average [I was no Picasso.]

Handwork: Average [Still no good at DIY.]

My teacher was Karen Mitchell, I can hardly remember her, but the head mistress, P Deut-Young was the wife of the head of the Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria where my dad worked.

The very next term report

So by December the 15^th we came to the end of the 1^st term in class 3 and there were notable changes, my conduct was satisfactory with the comment that I was careless over my things. [My age was registered as 7+ when in fact I was not going to be 7 until the 21^st of December. An unfortunate situation, but who has their reports to show today? Fine they were in custody of my father for a while but I’ve had them for almost 25 years.]

Arithmetic: Very good. He has a good knowledge of sums on money, length and addition with carrying. [Sums like age, definitel better than my teacher and we still did pounds, schillings and pence.]

Reading: Great improvement. He is catching up fast and loves reading “Janet & John” series: “My Little Book” no. 23. [Same persevering reading teacher, I remember those classes.]

English: Good. Akin’s expression is very good. He enjoys his English work-book.

Story and Composition: He likes stories. He can write simple ones. [No more dreamy but I really hated writing letters and could never be persuaded to write letters for years into secondary school. Just was not comfortable with that.]

Handwriting: Very good.

Geography & History were combined into Social Studies: He discusses intelligently on this subject.

Nature: Good. [We never got to use the cucumbers I took home till they rotted away in the pantry. Suppose our dietary regime at home did not include those things.]

Art: Average [Was conducted by my teacher from class 2.]

Handwork: He likes handwork. [Do I? I do remember in later years making mufflers and other things.]

Mrs. Agbelusi was my teacher then and we became family friends, it was a her son’s birthday party that I first saw the Polaroid camera in action, I was so fascinated by it.

The head mistress was now Beatrice Q. Macphee who had an M. A. and B. Com degrees, how very interesting.

My teacher forgot to put in the right year for the start of the next term which should have been 9^th January 1973 and not 1972.

Good primary education has benefits

In any event, it was nice to see the enduring traits that had already been settled by the time one was almost 7 years old and really it goes without saying in my particular case that my primary school education was a sure foundation for whatever else I have become today. I am deeply grateful for that.

If I remember correctly, I did come across a receipt for the payment of my school fees at Corona Primary School, it was 14 Pounds, I cannot however remember the year, if it was per term or any other particular detail.

I might soon publish PDFs of those reports and review others as I went through primary and secondary school – in the end, education is good, but the quality must never be scrimped on; a difficult but particular lesson for parents.

More memories of a child

Of memories long ago

Over a year ago, I wrote a blog about my memories of childhood in Rayfield, Jos in the 1970s. I also talked about my primary school, Corona School, Shamrock House in Bukuru, in many ways, I did have a somewhat privileged early education and that would be the topic of blog in the not too distant future.

It was heartening to read a comment placed on that blog today by someone who had been to the same school at a time when Nigeria was changing again and how after a personal tragedy, he still remembers those times fondly and has given me such great pleasure reading about his experiences.

Some comments should not be hidden from view, but given a good airing when the human interest aspects are self-evident.

I have taken the liberty to edit the comments, but laid it out as a story told in the intent, voice and context of the writer, my comments are in parenthesis.

Armstrong’s memories

Greetings to you, Mr. Akin, [I get called that a lot when I prefer either to be addressed by my first name alone and if my name is to be prefixed with a title, then the name is Akintayo – Just me being pedantic as usual.]

It’s nice to know that you were also a student in Corona School, Jos, Plateau State.

I was very impressed in how you described your past memories and past experiences of our school and very happy to know that I am not the only one who recalls these wonderful events that had happened to our lives.

I said this because, I was there also, but you were there ahead of me. My time was during President Shagari’s tenure in the early 80s, but he was overthrown by a coup d’états led by Major General Babangida [In fact, it was General Muhammadu Buhari] and that’s when the military rule begun until we left Nigeria.

[There was a military rule when I was at that school too, then the Head of State was General Yakubu Gowon, I was at the school between 1972 and 1975, President Shagari’s tenure ran from 1979 to 1983.]

Of course who could forget that wonderful places? There was the Club House just nearby where Mohammed Isa and I used to hang out and watch the British, German, Dutch and some Filipinos like me, playing Snooker or Darts whilst they were drinking or holding a bottle of Rock.

And yes one of my favorite place was the swimming pool, just a walking distance away. I remember it well; Mohammed and I, together with other expatriate friends used to swim there once a month or if there was other free time.

And just a stone’s throw away, there was the multi-purpose theatre hall and guess what? When it was time for the annual festival of all nationalities in Jos, where we performed our folk dance and songs, I was one of the chosen dancers to represent my country, at first I felt weird and uneasy, but I did it just fine!

Actually, I was a break dancer then; my moves were, hand spin and back spin, but not anymore now.

I was also one of the varsity players for the basketball team, though I'm not that tall our head coach, a lady, in fact, saw my talent and skills and put me in as a centre forward. Of course we won.

Everyone was very happy in the school that day, they were shouting ARMSTRONG! ARMSTRONG!! Of course I was very happy and proud to bring glory to our school.

One event that I can't really forget was when our Headmistress accused me about something I did not do at all. She put it in writing and put it on record.

Yes, I have a school record not only as a student and varsity player, but also had a record of chasing girls.

Was it my fault for being popular and with good looks?

Actually she was very strict Mrs. Opara (British National), but she overlooked the situation and jumped into a one-sided conclusion, she didn’t even bother to ask me of what really happened.

Probably because one of them was her niece, anyway it was no big deal for me.

My father was an Engineer and he worked as a Maintenance Manager at Microwave Associates at 26 Bukuru bye-pass. Sad to say my parents died in Nigeria, they were victims in a car accident on the way to Kano Airport. [I am so sorry about this.]

Thanks for the opportunity of sharing my happy memories and sad moment on your site, I hope you like it and find it interesting.

[Amstrong, I liked it very much and despite all that happened, you seem to have become a fine gentleman with fond memories; such is life and wherever you find yourself, live it well.

Thank you very much for sharing your memories.]

Rayfield, Jos - Memories of a child

Maps of places once seen

I wrote about my mobile phone a few days ago and alluded to Microsoft Virtual Earth which I could access from my smartphone device.

So, I panned the maps down to Nigeria and began to zoom in on Jos which when I lived there as a kid was in the old Benue-Plateau State - gone are the days when we just had 12 states in Nigeria as opposed to the situation now where every homestead is almost a national entity, a state would not suffice.

I would not be surprised if Nigerians found a way of creating 200 states just to be about to cater for the quest for power and the opportunity to waste oil money on personal enrichment rather that the socio-economic development of the governmental areas.

Rayfield green fields

As I zoomed in on Jos, I saw all the name places of towns that brought memories of childhood flooding back. I did not see the suburb of Rayfield which was just beyond the old airport; most of the residential area there was taken up by chieftains of the Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria (ATMN) where my father worked as Deputy Chief Accountant.

The fields around Rayfield were quite idyllic; a golf course with the tee-off point in front of the club house on a hill, strangely, about 20 metres down from the tee-off point was a steep descent that ran into a main road which cut the fairway and greens off from clubhouse.

Now, I wonder how sometimes we rode the paths through the golf course without the fear of getting hit by wayward golf balls. My father however, never played golf, the bag and balls simply rotten away in the garage; he was more a tennis player, the game of people in their late twenties.

Riding into the barren clay (kaolin ) outback was always a pleasure, we rode our bikes until we got to some functioning mine plant where the miners give us some souvenir tin ore to take back home, once we came across a menacing group of men who must have been up to no good as they snarled and gnarled at 2 little boys who were just exploring the world around them - that was quite scary.

Even little Rayfield had its scandals, we, the kids, all hear of these things, a sudden pregnancy and the poor girl suddenly disappears, but I also remember getting stung by bees twice, my right ear lobe still has the strange indent created as a result of the sting.

Corona School, Bukuru

Beyond Rayfield, there was Bukuru where the company clubhouse was as well as my school, a land-rover ride each morning from the front of the office - two things I remember were a fierce and feared teacher, Mrs. Obole and the school menace, who lived not too far from us, the nursery school even had a nursery rhyme to his honour which went.

Simon Cox, is a fox, put him in a leather box.

Many a time, some kids would have loved to have him put in a leather box and the lid sealed like Davy Jones' locker; once he tied a boy with a leather belt to a post and had others pelt the poor lad with water bombs made to some Origami design.

At that time Yakubu Gowon was the Head of State and he frequently had President Eyadema visit from Togo, and since he was from a village near Langtang, each time we knew he was in town we were taken to the railway crossing just before entering Bukuru where we waved patriotically; flags of Nigeria, the children - black, white and coloured, the same enthusiasm; I probably was one of the very few kids not born in Nigeria in my class.

We were always acknowledged, sometimes with a slow down and an appreciative wave from the host and his guest.

When the bloody coup of the 13th of February 1976 took place, I was preparing for secondary school in the South of Nigeria, one of the chief instigators was Lt. Colonel Buka Suka Dimka ; I was in school with his son.

Other towns of interest

Vom was the home of the veterinary centre (National Veterinary Research Institute), I remember I had to write a rambling essay about our visit to the centre, I never liked writing essays or letters, I hope I have improved with age.

Move on to Barakin-Ladi and another club house where our parents might not have been aware of the emerging studies on parental guidance for children's entertainment.

I saw my first horror film in that club house, some nice parent had arranged this cinema event for all the kids of senior ATMN staff and we were made to watch this blood and gore film - a millstone and lake awaits that kind parent, we were definitely marked for life after that.

Other names of places though my memory fails me of important army schools, the home town of our gardener and the seething but quiet animosity between the Birom and the Angas - Gindiri, Pankshin, Shendam, Damshin and Lafia extending into the Tiv lands were once quite familiar.

One local musician did not endear himself with these words in the more generally spoken Hausa language.

Birom de Angas, ku deina sha giya mus.

Translating to the Biroms and Angas should desist from getting drunk on alcohol. Oh! what days of yore. The local tipple was called Burukutu - brewed from millet which was abundant in that area, other recipes use sorghum.