To the Pupils and teachers of Adesonwon Junior Grammar School, Ilara, Epe and Odogunyan Secondary School, Odogunyan, in Ikorodu, learning and teaching will become more enjoyable as Governor Babatunde Fashola recently inaugurated two new blocks of classrooms at the two schools.
To Governor Fashola, the two new blocks underscore the importance of infrastructure in the overall quality of education as well as keep faith with his administration's promise of providing quality education by putting in place requisite facilities.
The governor, who was well represented by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, said: “Lagos State Government recognizes the importance of infrastructure in the overall quality of education needed by a child to realize his or her full potential and this is why we are keeping faith with our promise to provide quality education by putting in place the requisite facilities, such as the ones being inaugurated today.”
He noted that the inauguration of the classrooms in the two schools was informed by the need to keep up with the tempo of sustained provision of quality infrastructure of international standards for schools in Lagos State, saying that the impact of government's investment in education has already started yielding results as demonstrated in the increased schools' enrollment and attendance, which are pointers to the renewed confidence the people now repose in public schools.
“I am happy to report that already, we have started to see the results of the turnaround in the education sector because schools' enrolment and attendance have increased and this, in my opinion, is a testimony to the renewed confidence the people now have in public schools,” Governor Fashola said.
He advised parents and guardians to take good care of their children and wards by monitoring their movements, ensuring that they are well-fed, checking their academic works and liaising with their teachers, as whatever investment government makes in them is not just for the children alone, but also for the sake of the community.
The governor stressed that the need to preserve and take proper care of the two structures is the responsibility of everybody and urged the students to always work hard to excel in their examinations.
Also, on the development of the education sector, the Lagos State government has approved a new Senior Secondary School Curriculum for all public senior secondary schools in the state.
Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, who disclosed this, noted that according to the new Senior Secondary School Curriculum all SS 1- 3 students in public senior secondary schools are expected to offer nine subjects, made up of five compulsory core subjects including English language, Mathematics, Civic Education, Biology and one Trade Subject, adding that Civic Education is, however, optional for present SS 3 students in the 2013/2014 academic session.
She said the new curriculum expects all SS 1 – 3 students in public senior secondary schools to also offer three subjects from the various specialization groups made up of Science and Mathematics, Business Studies, Humanities and Technology as well as one elective subject chosen from any subject group other than the subject of specialization.
Mrs Oladunjoye, listed the 10 Trade subjects being offered in public senior secondary schools out which one must be offered by students in SS 1 – 3 as Catering, Craft Practice, Garment Making, Dyeing and Bleaching, Data Processing, Store Keeping, Book Keeping, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Marketing and Salesmanship.
“Teachers in related subject areas are being encouraged to teach Civic Education and the Trade Subjects. The District's Guidance and Counsellors have already been informed of the guidelines in the new curriculum and the information has been communicated to School Counsellors and Year Tutors in all public senior secondary schools.”
She disclosed that seminars and workshop would be organized in the six education districts in the state to educate teachers on the new senior secondary school curriculum, adding that two periods should be allocated to each trade subject in the schools' time table.
In order to facilitate the activities of prison services and tertiary education in the state, Governor Fashola recently donated 18 brand new Haice buses, four to the State Command of the Nigerian Prison Services and two buses to each of the seven tertiary institutions in the state.
The institutions which benefitted from the gesture were the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos State University (LASU), Yaba College of Technology (Yaba Tech), Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu (LASPOTECH), Federal College of Education and Technology, Akoka, Michael Otedola College of Education and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education.
Speaking at the open grounds of the Lagos House, Ikeja, before handing over the keys to the Comptroller of the State Command of the Nigerian Prison Services, Mrs. Catharine Nkolika Ononye, the governor said the vehicles represent government's “widow's might” to assist in the management of the prison system in the state.
While he decried the seeming lack of adequate attention from the Federal Government in the efficient management of the nation's prison service and prison system, the governor praised the management of the Command for keeping the system going in spite of the shortcomings.
Noting that the prison sector is a sector after his heart, the governor declared “I am hoping that within the time left, there is an opportunity to make some inroad into this sector of our lives because really I don't think we have paid enough attention”.Receiving the keys from the governor, Mrs. Ononye thanked him for the gesture, saying it did not come as a surprise to her that Governor Fashola responded positively to their request given his deep knowledge of the nation's criminal justice system.
She, however, implored the governor to continue to take deeper interest in the welfare of the prison system in the state and assist, especially in the area of improvement in the infrastructure of the prisons.
Promising to make judicious and effective use of the vehicles, the Comptroller, who was accompanied by some key officials of the service, said the sector also needed court cells where prisoners brought to court for trial could be kept prior to their trial in court.
She said lack of such cells in courts had sometimes resulted in the death of some of the prisoners in the “Black Maria” where they are confined on the court premises.
Addressing representatives of the beneficiary institutions during the second presentation, Governor Fashola said the vehicles represented “a thank you gift” to the institutions for the role they played and the assistance they rendered to the state government towards the successful hosting of the 18th National Sports Festival in the state.
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