Lagos State Government says it will begin registration of the pupils shown in a viral video observing assembly in a water logged area of Makoko, Lagos Mainland into the State public schools.
This according to the government is a short term measure for the children of the community to have access to quality education.
Site of the orphanage and school operated by Mawumadoka Children Foundation at Oko-Agbon, off Iwaya Road, became popular when a video showed pupils gathered for a morning school assembly being conducted inside a water pool.
The foundation owners said the viral video was shot in June this year, by a team from a church to raise funds for the rebuilding of the orphanage and the small space being used as school premises, while kids were asked to pose for the video in the dirty water to attract public sympathy.
According to a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Ganiu Lawal, the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, LASUBEB, has been directed to register pupils within the community into the following six public schools – Adekunle Anglican Primary School, Makoko Primary School, Ayetoro African Church Primary School, Fazil Omar Primary School, Ahmadiya Primary School and Talimu Islamiya Primary School.
The statement further reads “there are six public schools in the area, but some parents prefer to send their wards to the orphanage, which incorporated school lessons as the population of the children continued to grow. In fact, many of the older children in the community attend Adekunle Primary School, and other public schools around the area, but the Foundation retains the younger pupils.”
Meeting the stakeholders
The Lagos State House of Assembly had earlier invited the Mawumadoka Foundation officials and stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and its agencies, on the issue.
The meeting resulted in another visit by the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Hon. Ganiyu Okanlawon Sanni who led members of the committee on a fact- finding mission to the community, alongside the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, the Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Princess Adebowale Aderemi, Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King and other top government officials.
Unregistered schools
The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo noted that the Makoko orphanage/school has thrown up once again the challenge posed by unregistered low cost schools in parts of the State.
‘’We are doing everything possible through inter-agency collaboration to ease the process of approval and get the schools standardized; it is a cause of action this Government is seriously committed to. The State is also working with public and private institutions to support low cost schools and give them access to resources and funding to improve their schools.” she said.
She stressed that the Ministry, in collaboration with the Office of Civic Engagement, will continue to encourage residents to access quality education in public schools as provided by the State Government.
The Commissioner maintained that the Ministry would continue to engage members of the community on the need to safeguard the health and wellbeing of all school age children in Makoko and other adjoining areas.
Emmanuel Ukoh
