Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday virtually inaugurated new infrastructure projects in 15 junior and senior secondary schools across the six education districts of the state.
The governor during the inauguration in Ikeja, listed the affected schools, according to the governor, include: Lagos State Model College Meiran Alimosho; Lagos State Baptist Secondary School, Orile-agege; and Abesan Senior High School; Orisunbare Senior High School, Ayobo; Luwasa Senior High School, Ijede; Lagos State Girls Junior Model College Agunfoye; Ojota Junior Secondary School, Ojota; Eva Adelaja Junior Secondary School, Bariga; and Muslim Junior College, Oworoshoki.
Others are Lagos State Model College, Badore; Lagos State Model College, Agbowa Epe; Araromi Ilogbo Junior Secondary School, Oko-afo; Badagry Junior Grammar School, Badagry; Ajumoni Junior Grammar School, Daleko Mushin; and St. Joseph Secondary School, Mushin.
According to him, the project dashboard shows that so far, the state government has delivered 1,047 new classrooms, 181,365 pieces of dual composite furniture, 1,592 new hostel beds in Model Colleges, equipped with laundromat facilities and comfortable Reading Areas, in line with best practice from around the world.
”In addition, we have completed rehabilitation projects in 197 schools – translating to a total of about 2,280 classrooms so far, with associated sanitary facilities, potable water systems, and security infrastructure.
”We have equally focused on the provision of modern recreational facilities in our schools, to ensure the total development of our students, in line with best practice from around the world.
”We want them to simultaneously learn, play and keep fit, in the best and most conducive environment possible. This is the only way to prepare them for the future,” he said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said that investing in education was one of the most important investments any society or government could make to secure its future.
He said that the government’s commitment to education at all levels in the state had never been in doubt, as, according to him, Education and Technology were part of the cardinal points in the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the government.
Sanwo-Olu said that the focus on education was predicated on several complementary interventions, including physical infrastructure, technology, teacher and student welfare, and the reduction of the number of out-of-school children in the state.
According to him, one of the more recent and visible highlights of Lagos government’s efforts is the fact that the state universities did not suffer the disruptions occasioned by the recent strike action that affected many other public universities in the country.
”When we came on board, one of the things we decided to do, to build on the educational legacy of our predecessors, in secondary education, was to inaugurate a Special Committee on the Rehabilitation of Public Schools in Lagos State (SCRPS), on Nov. 4, 2019.
”It was inaugurated with a mandate to accelerate and actualise the core vision of revamping schools’ infrastructure in our state.
”Since the inauguration of the SCRPS, we have been able to start and complete several new building projects (classrooms, hostels, security infrastructure like fencing and gate-houses, and so on), and supplied new furniture for students and teachers.
”We have also successfully embarked on several rehabilitation projects.
”In addition, very importantly, we have completed and commissioned a fully-IT-driven school at Vetland Junior, with interactive digital screens and student tablets, to facilitate learning in and out of school,” the governor stated.
The State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, in her welcome address, said that apart from the infrastructure transformation, the issue of teachers was taken seriously by the present administration.
The commissioner said that nearly 7,000 teachers were recruited since the inception of the Sanwo-Olu- led administration, disclosing that teachers in the state were being trained and exposed to new pedagogies or new practices.
”We have looked at teacher’s quality, we continue training our teachers and exposing them to new pedagogies or new practices. We we built up teacher esteem,” she said.
Giving the overview of the projects, the Chairman of SCRPS, Mr Hakeem Smith, said that the special committee would scale up on all the various initiatives, adding that there were some projects in the pipeline that would be unveiled by the governor in the nearest future.
”Education is the greatest legacy we can bequeath to our children. We hope in the very near future, our schools shall not just be a place for learning but a place of joy for our children,” he said.
The Principal, Orisunbare Senior High School, Ayobo, Mr Adedapo Fagbure, thanked the governor for the school projects across the state, saying that the projects were completed on time and the necessary infrastructure put in place.
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