LSUBEB reiterates commitment to deliver engaging classrooms — Chairman
The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB) has affirmed its commitment to delivering a more engaging classroom in Lagos State schools.
The Chairman of LSUBEB, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King made the assertion at a forum organised by Human Development Initiatives (HDI), a not-for-profit organisation, with the support of the MacArthur Foundation.
Our Correspondent reports that the event tagged “A Day Out with LSUBEB Chairman” was initiated by HDI for engagement between the LSUBEB and other education stakeholders in the state.
The chairman expressed appreciation to HDI for putting up an unprecedented stakeholders engagement forum, the first ever in its category.
He noted that education was the responsibility, not only of the government, but for everyone.
According to him, the Eko Excel programme of the state is a game changer, leading to the building up of a more engaging classroom, where the teacher leverages on technology to deepen his interaction with the pupils.
The LSUBEB Chairman said that through the Excel programme, the capacity of teachers was built to respond to the contemporary needs of the classroom and the pupils’ environment.
“Excel is a complete transformation using technology to improve basic education in the school.
“We ensured that the content was structured to deal with the reality on ground.
“We are making our classroom into a smart classroom because Lagos is gradually becoming a smart city,” Alawiye-King said.
He noted that education requires collaborative partnership with the private sector to flourish.
“Education is a public good. That is why the government has opened up its space for private participation with emphasis on quality input.
“Demand side of education always outweighs its supply,” Alawiye-King said.
He explained that the board was doing all in its capacity to improve the quality and quantity of infrastructure in the schools.
In her welcome address, Mrs Olufunso Owasanoye, Executive Director, HDI, expressed gratitude to the LSUBEB, board members and other stakeholders for making it to the forum.
Owasanoye said that the Universal Basic Education Act (2004) makes basic education free and compulsory for every child of school age.
She expressed regrets that the problem of out-of-school children was still very much with us.
“Nigeria still currently has the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, despite statistics put forward by different agencies.
“Unfortunately, this crisis of out-of-school children has been terribly worsened by widespread insecurity which has made parents skeptical about enrolling their children/wards in schools,” Owasanoye said.
She noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had further done more damage than could be anticipated in this regard.
The executive director said that while Nigeria continued her war against widespread insecurity, poverty and inequality generally, illiteracy continued to rear its ugly head as a hydra-headed monster, just at the base of most of these problems.
“One must quickly point out here that the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board continues to stand tall among other states’ boards, given the quality of her interventions, innovations and smart goals.
“Especially in ensuring that education doesn’t just continue during a worldwide pandemic, but also ensure that basic education is both digitised and digitalised,” Owasanoye said.
Our Correspondent reports that the event was attended by permanent board members of LSUBEB, representatives of the parent forum, Schools Based Management Committee (SBMC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), traditional rulers and the media.
