168,843 pupils jostle for placement in Lagos secondary schools

A total of 168,843 pupils from both private and government primary schools across Lagos State took part in this year’s Primary 6 Placement Test into Junior Secondary School 1 which took place last weekend.

The executive chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), Dr. Ganiyu Oluremi Sopeyin, who monitored the exercise, disclosed this, describing the test, which took place in 255 designated centres across the state, as one of the best ever recorded by the state.

This was just as he reiterated the state government’s commitment to providing qualitative and quantitative education in a conducive atmosphere had led Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to approving the employment of an additional 1,000 teachers for the state’s secondary schools.

Speaking on the exercise, Sopeyin said that question papers and answer scripts known as OMR sheets as well as officials got to their respective centres ahead of time, and that the exercise was successful largely because the state government carefully planned for it, taking into consideration LSUBEB’s past experiences.

Sopeyin noted that despite the state government’s earlier announcement of the time and date of the commencement of the exercise, some students came to the exams centres late, while some others who were not registered for the exams also reported for it in some centres.

Despite the challenges, however, he said “all the minor hitches were immediately addressed peacefully without harassment or molestation.”

He explained further that the employment of additional 1,000 teachers into the state-owned secondary schools would complement the existing workforce in the schools to take care of the upsurge recorded in placement test.

About 140,000 pupils took part in a similar test in about 160 designated centres across the state last year.