Why Lagos govt is partnering See-Joy Foundation — SUBEB

Lagos State government has explained reasons it is partnering the See-Joy Foundation, a non- governmental organisation (NGO), which is concerned, among others about imparting knowledge and skills on  children from poor homes and underserved communities.

It says the foundation’s vision and contributions so far to the education development in the state, particularly at the basic level for indigent but brilliant students, are addressing some of the concerns of the state government.

Director of Co-Curriculum Development, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), Mr Olugbenga Abiola, gave the explanation at a news conference on Tuesday in Ikeja ahead of the forthcoming Children’s Day celebration through which the foundation had planned to reward no fewer than 28 students from public schools across geopolitical zones in the country.

Abiola said the state government is passionate and committed to ensuring that no child within school age in Lagos State irrespective of parents’ social status, tribe and religion, would be left behind from accessing quality education.

He said that was why the state’s SUBEB came up with a Zero Project to mop up the out-of school-children from the streets, noting that the state government is always ready to partner with any organisation just like See-Joy Foundation and institution and individual contributing to impart quality knowledge and skills on the young ones.

Speaking earlier, the president of See-Joy Foundation, Pastor Prosper Kanayo, said the foundation had been operating for over 20 years and had sponsored more than 400 children from poor homes in Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania in school; some from primary to tertiary level and others at the particular level they could no longer fund their education.

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He said there were just many of such children in the society seeking attention, adding that the foundation targets up to one million of such children across Africa to cater to.

He said this year’s awards are in various categories such as for Courage and Audacity, Innovation and Creativity, Excellence and Potentials, among others would be the second edition by the foundation.

He said the sole objective of the awards, as part of the intervention efforts of the foundation, is to identify and encourage the culture of hardwork, diligence, creativity, self-values and excellence among students in public schools as they move on with their academic pursuits.

In her contribution at the event, an associate professor at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Dr Ogechi Adeola, said Nigeria truly needed to give more priority to children education so that they could grow to become responsible citizens.

He said that “any country that neglects its young population would certainly suffer grave consequences for such action now and in future.”

She, however, lamented that “it is not encouraging that Nigeria is far from attaining almost all the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals, particularly that of numbers one to seven which have to do with  poverty, hunger, children education, child and maternal health, safe water, among others.

She said the country would need to be more serious about achieving them at the stipulated deadlines.