LASG holds Y2022 Education Summit, targets 5,300 stakeholders to discuss boosting quality assurance

…We have to change the paradigm for human capital development – Commissioner

By Moses Adeniyi

The Lagos State Government (LASG) has commenced plans to hold the Y2022 Education Summit to convene stakeholders across the sector to discuss critical subjects towards addressing the challenges of quality assurance in education, with a view to developing the human capital profile of the State’s population and Nigeria’s at large – Nigerian NewsDirect reports.

The two-day education summit slated for Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st of August, 2022, would accommodate no less than 5,300 participants addressing critical subjects for a paradigm shift.

The summit, the State Government believes was important to engage stakeholders towards co-creating new ideas and solutions for the development of education in Lagos State and Nigeria at large.

According to the State’s Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, all stakeholders in the public and private education sector in Lagos State, such as: Educators, School Owners and Administrators, Parents, Students, Education Researchers, NGOs, Education Consultants and Private Sector Development Partners, would gather to discuss critical matters of concern touching on the theme of the Summit tagged “Creating a Sustainable Fit-For-Purpose Education Model” with the sub-theme “Prioritizing Education in the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda and the 30 Year Lagos Development Plan”.

“Education related agencies and institutions such as the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Examination Council (NECO), Education Research Institutes and university will also participate in the conversation at the summit,” she disclosed at a press briefing on Wednesday at the State Capital to disclose plans for hosting the Y2022 Lagos State Education Summit

“As part of the strategy to harness resources as well as best brains from across the world and deliver the desired quality education to learners, Lagos State will host an Education Summit on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st of August, 2022,” she added.

According to her, the summit will also afford the Federal Ministry of Education, other federal education agencies and State Commissioners of education across the country “an opportunity to co-share ideas for the development of education in Nigeria.”

The Summit, she said, seeks to explore a holistic approach towards education and lifelong learning from early childhood to higher education that is necessary for developing, re-skilling and enhancing an active population in a bid to make Education in Lagos State Fit-For-Purpose.

“The Y2022 Education Summit is no doubt a bumper packed Summit with well-versed speakers and panelists who have over the years garnered experience from various fields and are ready to share for the education development of Lagos State and Nigeria.

“Amongst our expected are; the ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, H.E. Leena Pylvanainen, Professor Enase Okonedo, Vice Chancellor Pan African University and former Dean of Lagos Business School, Professor Josiah Ajiboye of Teachers Registration Council TRCN), Lucy Pearson, British Council Country Director, Mr Tunde Adekola of the World Bank Office, Mr Fela Bank-Olemoh amongst others who are expected to do justice to the topic of discuss in line with the Lagos State Education Transformation Plan,” she added.

“In order to allow for robust participation of all stakeholders, the Summit will be hybrid for physical and online participation. However all participants will register via the link which has been provided on www.lagoseducationsummit.com,” Adefisayo mentioned.

She disclosed that the on-sight arrangement will accommodate about 300 participants in-person, while over 5,000 would participate online.

According to her, the Summit aims for discussion that will lead to change in paradigm in teaching and learning.

She mentioned that such was important as recent studies have reflected challenges relating to productive value of young people coming out of education institutions.

Speaking on the quality value of graduates to work demands, she said, “If we don’t give them the requisite skills that will ensure they can perform effectively in the world of today, how can we say they can’t work,” she queried.

In her remarks, the Chairman, Teaching Service Commision, Lagos State, Mrs. Elizabeth Ariyo, said having examined the present situation in the State, the need for paradigm shift was pertinent, arguing that a change can’t be expected by sticking to the prevailing teaching and learning orientation.

“We examined the present situation of education and we discovered that the students are taught the way we were taught back then. If we keep on doing the same thing, the same way, we can’t expect a change.

“So, what do we need to do? We need to create a fit-for-all education system and that is why we even introduced the Comprehensive Schools; they must have something to do, they must be marketable. We cannot just be producing graduates that can only write good English without having any skills.

“We thought about it and that was why we said we need to change our mind set that will make the students coming out of our schools very useful to the society and when they are useful to the society there will be economic growth,” she said.

Since inception, the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led Administration has concentrated efforts on implementation of various initiatives across the education sector in furtherance of the promise to provide high quality education accessible to all learners in the State, in fulfilling its policy thrust, the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.

According to Adefisayo, the strides can be scaled up with re-energised synergy between all stakeholders in the education sector.