That the quality of public education in the country is declining is an understatement. The education sector is faced with myriad of challenges such as inadequate budgetary allocation, dearth of infrastructure, teachers’ lack of competency to teach pupils born in the 21st century, declining reading culture of the pupils and abandonment of parental role and many more.
Many parents have had to contend with enrolling their children in private schools operating in an unconducive environment with poorly qualified teachers. For the schools with suitable standards, parents pay exorbitant bills.
For this, governments at all levels have embarked on a series of projects over the years to reverse the trend and attract more children to public schools.
In Lagos, the key component of the Sanwo-Olu administration’s education blueprint is to deploy technology to fundamentally transform the basic education template, thereby improving the outcome of teaching and learning.
The administration is irrevocably committed to give utmost attention to the education sector, particularly the public school system where much still needs to be done to improve the learning and teaching environment.
As many might have known, the education sector was allocated the highest percentage in the state current budget. This prioritisation is in tandem with the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda in which education represents a key pillar. It is also in realisation of the key role education plays in the 21st century world.
It was against this backdrop that the state government launched the initiative: ‘Excellence in Child Education and Learning’ (EKOEXCEL), on January 25, as one among other interventions to chart a way forward for the Lagos public schools.
The launch followed a two-week intensive training of over 4,000 teachers from various schools and education districts across the state who will be the main drivers of the new initiative to reposition service delivery in public primary schools with special focus on learning outcomes for pupils.
EKOEXCEL is an education reform initiative of the Sanwo-Olu’s administration that is successfully developing more highly skilled teachers; by training, supporting and motivating existing government teachers, to succeed in their respective classrooms.
The reality is that in many facets of our lives, society is moving from analogue to digital. Hence, the new programme is primed to change teaching and learning from analogue to digital in line with modern trends.This article appeared originally on The Nation, Feb 9, 2020.
