Broaden Education Curriculum To Develop Intellectual, Moral Virtues of Pupils, Kalejaiye Urges Govt.
Mojisola Lawal
Lagos State Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) have been urged to broaden the scope of the state’s education curriculum for the development of intellectual and moral virtues of pupils in the state.
Traditional ruler of Otumara community in the Lagos Mainland Local Government of Lagos state, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye gave the charge at a session on education organised by DamDap Global Investment in Lagos at the weekend.
He stated that qualitative education is a compulsion and must be seen and treated as a matter of public interest that outweighs any individual or group interests.
Speaking on the declining infrastructure amenities in schools within his district, he said, the alarming decline in the societal and moral values is occasioned by absence of modern learning technologies, decaying infrastructure amenities and conducive learning environment for the pupils in their immediate environment.
While commending Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the commitments of his administration to the growth of primary and secondary education in the state, he held that more needs to be done by the state government to improving the standard and quality of education across communities in the state.
Making a case for his community, he said, “Recently, the Lagos state government through the State Universal basic Education Board, SUBEB, built blocks of classrooms in our community and we sincerely appreciate the government for this gesture.
However, our most pressing need in the Lagos Mainland Local Government is the Senior Secondary School which for many decades has exposed our children to harmful existence. Upon the completion of primary and Junior Secondary education in the district, the pupils are compelled to journey down to Surulere Local Government to complete their secondary education.
In the course of this journey, the children are exposed to cultism, road accident and other terrible acts. Apart from this, parents too are at the receiving end as they have to contend with the burden of providing transport fares every morning for their children despite their little means.
We have made several attempts to notify the State Government about our needs and about a year ago, Governor Sanwo-Olu approved of the construction of Senior Secondary School for the district to be built at a location in Otumara community.
But rather than kick-starting the construction sequel to the visit to the site of construction by Lands and Survey, officials from the State Ministry of Education are deliberately dragging us back with frivolous excuses. Otumara community is peaceful enough for whatever they want to do.
The land is there lying fallow except for some usurpers who have turned it to trading spots claiming it to be theirs. The state ministry should do the needful, no individual or group interest must override public interest and that is why I am appealing to the Lagos state government, as the only traditional ruler in the community and as someone that is passionate about education, to mobilise its officials and engineers to the site to save our children’s future from destruction. The community and its residents are ready, its only for the government to mobilise its officials to site.”
At a separate forum, Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede as a guest lecturer at the Prof. Adetokunbo Babatunde Sofoluwe 9th Memorial lecture titled: “Education Administration and the New Normal: A Forecast Of The Nigeria Educational System in a Post Pandemic Era” held at the University of Lagos, auditorium, Akoka, Lagos, on Friday held that the country’s educational system must be redesigned to support the developmental needs of the society to meet global standards.
According to him, “For education to improve in Nigeria and for us to make the required impact, there are certain essential requirements: an efficient training programme for teachers at all levels; an environment free from local hazards including ethnic, political and religious strife, insecurity, droughts and floods; and government alone cannot effectively promote education and contributions are necessary from non-governmental sources including individuals, families and communities.”
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