We have made progress in education – Lagos govt

THE Lagos State government says schools in the state have made tremendous progress in external examinations since 2015.

Adesina Odeyemi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, made this known during a workshop for guidance and counselors, with the theme ‘Relevance of Subject Selection in Secondary Schools’.
He said, “The (performance of the state in the) 2017 (West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) was 66 per cent pass in at least five subjects, including English and Mathematics, compared to the 50.41 per cent in 2016, 37.27 per cent in 2015 and 21.22 per cent in 2014. This is an evidence that education sector is making geometric progress.”

On the workshop, Odeyemi said it was designed to deepen knowledge and widen the horizon of counselors in the state to help them assist Senior Secondary School students in the choice of subjects, vis-a-vis their future ambitions.
“The theme is apt, because this is the time to interface with students of SS1 in order to know their future ambition, and appropriately advise them.

“A look at their performances in their Basic Education Certificate Examination will indicate their subjects of strength and their area of weakness,” he said.
He urged counselors to use their knowledge of the requirements of the examination bodies such as the West African Examinations Council, National Examination Council, and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in relation to the admission criteria of tertiary institutions at home and abroad in advising the students in the selection and proper combination of subjects for the Ordinary Level certificate examination, which is a very important pre-requisite for admission into tertiary institutions.

He said further: “The steady improvement in the education sector of the state could only be beneficial to the students and the state when it translates to future success of the students concerned.
“Students offering Science, humanities or business subjects must be seen to belong to their relevant classes, except in subjects that are compulsory for all students.

“A situation where a student will mix subjects in the humanities and business together and the passes recorded are useless in pursuance of future education should be avoided.”
The director, Child Guidance School Counseling and Special Education, Mrs Ketimu Musa, in her welcome address, said the ministry assembled seasoned counselors to take participants in topics like structure and subjects of the new curriculum, subject selection for the four fields of study; administration and streaming using the aptitude test and strategies to curb the conflict between skills acquisition and formal education in secondary schools.
Meanwhile, the permanent secretary, during the state celebration of the World Literacy Day, said qualitative and standard education in the state could not be compromised.

“Government has made it a policy that students have access to the internet in schools’ public libraries, which will encourage private reading, personal study and also enhance their performance in their studies,” he said.