Sanwo-Olu describes initiative as game-changer
In yet another affirmation of its successful upskilling of teachers and the attendant improvement in their performances, four Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) EKOEXCEL teachers have received brand new SUVs and other prizes from Lagos State Government.
The four were among the 13 school teachers and administrators recognised at last Wednesday’s 2021 Teachers’ Merit Award for excellence and diligence in teaching.
They include Mrs. Fausat Adegeye of Ebenezer African Church Primary School, popularly known as Teacher Sade on TikTok, Mr. Michael Ayoola of AUD Society Primary School II, Mrs. Omolayo Fadayomi of Karaole Primary School Ifako and Mr. Olusegun Muftau of Lasa United Nursery & Primary School, Ibeshe Town.
Sanwo-Olu, who spoke at the ceremony held at the Lagos House in Ikeja, said it was in line with his administration’s commitment to using education as a weapon to develop Lagos and influence the teaching profession.
He expressed happiness with EKOEXCEL’s strides, describing it as a game-changer in government’s quest to improve learning outcomes by upskilling teachers.
He said: “One of the game-changers in the education development plan of the administration is the EKOEXCEL programme designed to support teachers to achieve better learning outcomes across all our public primary schools.”
“The EKOEXCEL 2020-2021 End line Fluency and Numeracy Evaluation has further justified the huge investment and affirmed the strategic interventions and impacts.
“Through EKOEXCEL, thousands of teachers are being up-skilled through re-training and the use of technology that supports and motivates them to succeed in their classrooms. This accentuates the importance of education to this administration and our continuous effort to strengthen the workforce’s capacity through employment opportunities for qualified teachers with a passion for teaching. We have also instilled local and international trainings for our teachers, creating an enabling environment for teaching and learning.”
The governor further urged teachers not to see the award as a contest but as a motivation to continue to do their best, knowing that such commitment will one day be rewarded.
“I advise that our teachers continue to uphold the ethics of the teaching profession and display an uncommon sense of responsibility and greater commitment to duty,” he further said.
Since its launch in 2019 by Governor Sanwo-Olu, EKOEXCEL has continued to record tangible gains among teachers and pupils, leading to improved learning outcomes for pupils and more professional teachers.
Over 14,000 teachers from 1,011 public primary schools have been captured under the scheme. It has also enhanced the teacher-pupil interaction experience through technology (e-Learning) in Lagos State primary schools.
The intervention has also aided uniformity, and strict adherence to the curriculum as teachers’ tablets are preloaded with lessons and content that can be effectively monitored for standardisation across Lagos’ public primary schools.
EKOEXCEL has also significantly increased pupils’ learning outcomes and drastically reduced the number of out-of-school children in the state by enrolling them in schools through the ‘Leave No Child Behind’ policy.
It was only fitting that four of its teachers shone at the Merit Awards overseen by an independent committee led by the chairperson of the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria, Lai Koiki.
Only recently, Chair, Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Akintoye Hassan, commended EKOEXCEL for revolutionising teaching in the state, particularly praising the standardised instrument guiding teachers in schools across the state.
“EKOEXCEL has changed the classroom experience, as teaching and learning have become more pupil-centred. As you are teaching, you are also learning. The innovative technology has also enabled the teacher to learn because there is guidance,” Hassan said.
This article appeared originally on Guardian, July 4, 2022.
