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C H S A - A L U M N I
History

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Est. 1963

About Us

Comprehensive High School Ayetoro was founded in February 1963 with the combined efforts of three agencies: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ford Foundation and then Government of western Region of Nigeria.


Just after Nigeria attained independence in 1960, the authorities began to consider the problem of manpower needs and the desirability of having a secondary school system more closely related to such needs.

Currently

Consistent
Rehabilitation

A nationwide review of the secondary school system was undertaken, arising from both direct initiative and external advice.


Sixth form work in science subjects was given top priority together with the introduction of technical streams at the school-certificate level.


The then Western Region government, with external assistance from USAID (Harvard University) WHO provided staffing resources and Ford Foundation (WHO provided funding until 1973), established Comprehensive High School Ayetoro in February 1963.

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It was a US Senator from New Jersey who proposed the establishment of Comprehensive High Schools in Nigeria and Kenya as a gateway of US influence in Africa. It was the product of US international diplomacy through Educational AID and the PEACE Corpse of the JFK Administration.


The physical project was given to USAID to execute and to administer for the first five years, while the academic staffing and curriculum activities were given to Harvard University with counterpart matching staff from the Western Nigeria educational ministry.


Comprehensive High School Ayetoro quickly became a “Model School” in Nigeria and in the beginning years, many secondary schools would organize a short excursion visit to look at and to get a feel of the school on weekends. It was the first school in Nigeria to have one thousand or more students.


It comprised of Junior School starting at Form One and the Higher School of just 60 students, starting at the Lower Sixth Form and finishing with the Upper Sixth; and taking the Cambridge University Higher School Certificate Exam for University Admissions.


Hence Comprehensive High School Ayetoro started with a duality educational system, whereby the sixth form followed the existing British System and Curriculum, while the Junior School followed the American System and Curriculum, and very notably in the “Modern Mathematics” curriculum. However, after few years the plan of the American SAT exams as the terminal exam for the Junior school had to be changed to WAEC. Hence curriculum changes and additional tutorial classes had to be provided to the first students to get to form four and five.