Located in Otta, a border town between Lagos and Ogun states, Iganmode Grammar School has built a name for itself over the years. It was the first secondary school in Nigeria to win the annual Cowbell National Secondary Schools Mathematics Competition (NASSMAC) for five consecutive times, three of which were back-to-back. What is the magic wand of this 54-year-old school?
The inscription: “We are the Champions’’ welcomes a visitor into the vast premises of Iganmode Grammar School, Otta, Ogun State. Established on January 25, 1960, the school, which started with 30 boys and three teachers, has won the Cowbell Mathematics Competition in 2002, 2007 and 2011, and recorded a back-to-back success in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The school has also won trophies in other competitions within and outside the state, including the 2013 American Mathematics Competition organised by the International Academy of the Gifted, 2004 National Computer JETS Competition, 2003 NNPC National Quiz Competition and 2001 STAN National Science Quiz Competition.


With a population of 4,068 students and 62 teachers from different parts of the country, it is one of the few day and boarding government-owned secondary schools in Ogun State.
 A few weeks ago, Iganmode gained national recognition as the second best secondary school in Nigeria, as it won the Teachers and School Excellence Awards in Abuja.  
Does the school have a magic wand? Speaking with Sunday Trust, the Vice Principal (academics) of the school, Oladele Idowu, said: “People often ask if we are using any magic or myth to achieve our successes. Interestingly, what we have is a tradition of excellence. A name that is synonymous with excellence. Through hardwork, perseverance and commitment to our duties, we get the results we deserve at all times.”
Idowu, however, noted that the NASSMAC awards had bolstered the school’s image beyond imagination.
Sunday Trust gathered that it takes persistent preparations and rigorous selection process on the part of teachers and students to achieve the feats the school has recorded. The best three students are often selected to represent the school at academic competitions.
Behind these awards was a 45-year-old Atinsola Akeem, who joined Iganmode Grammar School in 2000 as a Mathematics teacher. Akeem has bagged the Cowbell Best Teacher award for a record four times, having been the one that nurtured the students to victory.
“We were about six teachers who were taking the students when I came in 2000, but one after the other my colleagues were transferred and the responsibility fell on me,” Akeem, who has been transferred to a neighbouring Ansar-Ud-Deen High School, Otta, Ogun State told our correspondent.
“For me, the stress is nothing anytime I look back and realise that I had contributed to Iganmode’s successes at Cowbell Mathematics competitions, three of which were back-to-back. We also qualified the school and became the sole representative of Ogun State on eight occasions. Of course, for each of these feats, the management of Cowbell recognised me, the students and the school. Such recognitions encouraged me to do more,” he said.
Trained by a Ghanaian teacher in his secondary school days, Akeem insisted that Mathematics is the simplest subject for students. He, however, said it is one subject that requires a lot of dedication from both the teacher and the students. He revealed that many teachers are really not competent to teach the subject, a development he described as being responsible for students’ poor interest.
“Mathematics is a very simple subject, but to a large extent it depends on how the teacher takes it. In secondary school, I was taught by a Ghanaian who used to show us how simple the subject was. He would allow us to ask questions.
“Unfortunately, these days many teachers don’t allow their students to ask questions. They just introduce the topic and solve equations on the board without explaining how the answer is arrived at.
That is why some students think Mathematics is difficult to understand. They need to be encouraged. I motivate my students by buying snacks for them and sometimes giving them transportation fares,” Akeem said.
Interestingly, Akeem is not a graduate of Mathematics. He bagged a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Food Engineering from the University of Nigeria (UNN) Nsukka, an M.Sc in Chemistry at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and a second M.Sc in Food Engineering from the University of Ibadan (UI). Asked if he would repeat the same feat in his new school, Akeem said he should be given a few months to settle down.
 On whether the absence of Akeem would affect the school’s performance in subsequent competitions, the vice principal of the school said the school would win more trophies, saying they have established an academic tradition that can neither be jeopardised nor compromised.
Idowu said, “It has never been a one-man-show. The fact that a teacher is transferred to another school cannot affect the performance of the students. The teacher you are referring to was not the one who trained the students that won laurels in Abuja recently. We have a tradition here. We also have a hardworking principal.
 “Many students across Nigeria come to the school because they are aware that we have a culture of winning laurels. Everybody wants to associate with the winning team.  And we have committed teachers.
“The fact that we are the first school to win competitions that involved over 10,000 students across Nigeria says a lot about our school. Anytime the school wins, we receive gifts, including computer sets. When the school won its third straight championships, Cowbell gave 80 leaves writing notes with pens to each of our students. And we have over 4,000 students.
“We consider that inspiring to the younger ones because that will continue to serve as a reminder to them, that when they do well, they bring honour to themselves and the school as well. Also, when the teachers are rewarded, it encourages them to do more. I must add that all these have bolstered our reputation, not only in the eyes of the public but also the state government.”
Speaking with Sunday Trust, Akindele Nasir, who made the school proud in the 2013 Cowbell Mathematics competition, was full of praises for the organisers, saying the experiences he garnered at every stage of the preparatory examinations and the competition have tremendously shaped his intellect. Nasir is preparing for the Senior Secondary School examination.
“The competition has built confidence in me ahead of the examination. I am saying kudos to Cowbell and my school,” he said.
The competition began in 1998 for students in Lagos State. It eventually became a national competition in 2001 after it secured the approval of the Federal Ministry of Education.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/sunday/index.php/60-education/education/16564-at-iganmode-54-year-old-school-sets-record-of-winning-mathematics-competitions

Cc: seun lalasticlala

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