By Gabriel Dike, Lagos
Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday charged students in various schools in the state to pursue greatness, exhibit creativity and continue to maximise the use of digital learning towards surpassing the successes recorded in previous examinations.
In a statement by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, reminded the students of the governor’s love, the student-teacher-centred initiatives numbering over 1,400 projects. She outlined some of the landmark projects to include the provision of 1,047 new classrooms, the construction of new schools and rehabilitation of 197 existing ones, the construction of 1,584 bed new hostels in boarding schools, and the provision of 181, 365, pieces of school furniture.
Others include the commissioning of new school models with track and field facilities, the commissioning of the new technology-driven modular school at Vetland model junior secondary school, the launch of the ‘Eko Excel’ digital learning initiative, retraining of teachers, the introduction of the inclusive comprehensive school program for skills acquisition among others.
Officials of the Ministry of Education led by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Abayomi Abolaji, and Directors
undertook the monitoring of school resumption for the second term, in various parts of the metropolis.
The monitoring exercise’s first port of call was the Ikeja Senior Grammar School, Ikeja before the team moved to Bolade Senior Grammar school.
Addressing the students in the assembly grounds, the permanent secretary stated: “I wish you a happy new year and welcome you to an exciting second term, most of you performed excellently last term, we expect you to aim higher in the new year”.
He advised teachers, “You have a lot of work on your hands, the task ahead is huge, to whom much is given, much is expected, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has committed 10 per cent of the state ‘s budget to education, increased salaries, attended the’ World Teachers Day’ celebration last October to show you his administration is teacher-friendly. You must redouble your efforts to improve the standard of education in the state, please spread the message to your colleagues in other schools.”
At the Ikeja Junior High School, GRA, Ikeja, Mr Olatunde Ojo, the principal of the school received the permanent secretary on arrival.
Abolaji noted: “I commend you for your comportment and the peaceful conduct of the first term, I was once a student like you, with hardwork and determination you can also aspire to perform better to become university graduates and valuable citizens.
“The environment is clean, and the students are also neatly-dressed, I implore you to keep up the good habits, neatness, punctuality, good morals, discipline, hard work, honesty, obedience and respect are core values for successful people, pick two of these as your improvement kit to become better individuals “.
Abolaji presented the commissioner’s message to teachers to remain diligent in moulding students both academically and otherwise and also charged students to shun hooliganism and cultism.
Miss Rejoice Godwin, an SS 2 student responded on behalf of her schoolmates and said: “We appreciate the governor’s kind gestures, and his efforts in making us technologically compliant and we will not disappoint him.”
The principal, Mrs Bello-Ayanfalu also promised to do more to justify the government’s huge investments.
A major highlight of the monitoring exercise was the interactive where the permanent secretary did some counselling with the students including students of the special needs units while encouraging the teachers not to rest on their oars but to work hard to renew the hope for better days.
The monitoring exercise, which took place in about 30 schools is a routine responsibility of the Ministry of Education to motivate both teachers and students, this is usually done at the beginning of a new school year and resumption of a new school term.
The exercise also took place in Surulere, Gbagada, Somolu, Ojodu, Kosofe, Alimosho Igbogbo, Ikorodu and Badagry areas of the state.
