WorldStage Newsonline– The Lagos State Government has announced plans to increase its comprehensive schools from the current 12 to 50 before the end of the year, a 317% increase.
The comprehensive school model provided an opportunity for students to learn a range of vocational skills, alongside the normal school curriculum.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State said on Friday in Ikeja at the 2022 Children’s Day Celebration – Parade and Rally, with the theme: “A Better Future for Every Child” that “the government has commenced the comprehensive school programme for secondary school students in 12 schools across the state in the pilot phase.
”The students are not selected based on academic aptitude but a vocation and skills interest. We intend to increase the number of schools to 50 before the end of the year.”.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Folasade Jaji, said the state government was desirous of empowering students with requisite skills for a self-reliant future, by providing a suitable path for them, based on their skill competence.
He said, ”The students are not selected based on academic aptitude but a vocation and skills interest. We intend to increase the number of schools to 50 before the end of the year.
”We recognise the role education plays in ensuring a better future for our children.
”As part of our efforts to improve teaching and learning in our primary and secondary schools across the state, we have embarked on and commissioned over 1,449 projects covering 1,036 schools across all 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs.
”These projects include construction, renovation, and rehabilitation of dilapidated public schools, and supply of composite units of furniture to schools, among other infrastructure projects.”
The governor said that as a testament to the huge investment, the performance of students had increased.
He said that students with a minimum of five credits including Mathematics and English in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination had improved from 38.79 per cent in 2020 to 80 per cent in 2021.
Sanwo-Olu said there had been intensified efforts through the Project Zero Programme, to curb the rate of out of school children and bring them back to school, as the administration had zero tolerance for Out of School Children.
”Our administration will continue to invest in the education of our children and will not relent in maintaining our several educational programmes introduced to develop and boost our human capital, making teaching and learning conducive,” he said.
The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo said that the Sanwo-Olu led administration was raising the stake of education to higher levels.
Adefisayo said the children had shown competence to match their counterparts anywhere in the world, by winning laurels at home and abroad.
She said their ingenuity in competitions was very encouraging, and all pointed to the fact that the future was in the hand of good and reliable keepers.
According to her, the government has invested enormously in education, by providing all that the students need to meet their true potentials.
”You are the future of our dear state and nation, therefore, I implore you to continue to work harder and excel both in academic and co-curricular activities.
”The state government has put a lot of facilities at your disposal and you have to effectively use them to your advantage,” she said.
