The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unveiled new school projects of about 150 blocks of classrooms and 1,386-bed hostels to 15 new schools in the State.
The projects were virtually commissioned at a physical event organised by the Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Schools.
The virtual commissioning was conducted in order not to disrupt academic activities at the beneficiary schools.
Inaugurating the school projects, Sanwo-Olu said his administration’s commitment to scale up access to education at all education levels was not in doubt, stressing that the State had committed more investment to Education and Technology in line with the cardinal objectives stipulated in the THEMES Agenda of his Government.
The Governor said his focus was predicated on complementary interventions in the provision of physical infrastructure, technology, capacity building, teacher and student welfare, and reduction of the number of out-of-school children in the State.
“When we came on board, one of the things we decided to do in building on the legacy of my predecessors in education was to inaugurate a Special Committee on the Rehabilitation of Public Schools in Lagos State (SCRPS) in November 2019, with a mandate to accelerate and actualise the core vision of revamping schools’ infrastructure in our State.
“Since it inaugurated SCRPS, we have started and completed several new building projects, including classrooms, hostels, security infrastructure like fencing and gate-houses, among others, and supplied new furniture for students and teachers. We have also embarked on several rehabilitation projects leading to the completion of rehabilitation projects in 197 schools.
“With the complementary activities of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), and Ministry of Education, we have successfully delivered a total of about 2,280 classrooms so far, with associated sanitary facilities, potable water systems, and security infrastructure,” he said
Sanwo-Olu said no part of the State was left out of the interventions injected in education, maintaining his administration’s determination to ensure equitable distribution of the dividends of good governance to all divisions in Lagos.
The Governor however urged communities yet to benefit from the scheme to be patient, noting that the committee would not carry out rehabilitation projects at once, as he assured that his Government would continue to expand the scale of its interventions.
He asked the beneficiaries to make good use of the facilities provided and shun any form of vandalism that may render the Government’s effort useless.
According to him “We are working very hard to make sure as many schools as possible benefit from this intervention. We cannot do everything at once and cannot cover every school in the State within a limited period, but rest assured we will continue to expand the scale of our interventions. I ask for the patience and understanding of those schools that are yet to benefit.
“From the schools that have benefited from this rehabilitation programme, I ask that you use these facilities judiciously and responsibly. Shun all forms of vandalism and carelessness; treat these buildings and projects as public goods that must be maintained for future generations. I do not doubt that residents will be proud to see what has been done, in terms of an infrastructure revolution in Lagos public education.”
The beneficiaries’ schools are Lagos State Junior Model College, Meiran, Lagos State Baptist Secondary School, Orile-Agege, Abesan Senior High School, Alimosho, Orisunbare Senior High School, Alimosho, Luwasa Senior High School, Ijede, Lagos State Girls Junior Model College Agunfoye (Ikorodu) and Ojota Junior Secondary School, Ojota.
Others are Eva Adelaja Junior Secondary School, Bariga, Muslim Junior College, Oworoshoki, Lagos State Model College, Badore, Lagos State Model College, Agbowa (Epe), Araromi-Ilogbo Junior Secondary School, Oko-Afo, Badagry Junior Grammar School, Badagry, Ajumoni Junior Grammar School, Daleko, Mushin, and St. Joseph Secondary School, Mushin.
Dominica Nwabufo
