Some education stakeholders in Ikorodu Division of Lagos State have appealed to parents to prioritise the basic education of their wards as first line teachers, to compliment learning and reduce out-of-school children in the state.
They made the appeal during the inauguration of blocks of classrooms, built by the council at the African Bethel Primary School, Ota-Ona in Ikorodu on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the newly built block of classrooms consist of staff room and two toilets.
Speaking at the inauguration, Dr Hakeem Shittu, Chairman of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) said the government organised a programme called Project Zero for a holistic approach to reducing out -of – school children in the state.
Shittu said the programme was initiated to alleviate the economic effects of COVID-19-, by empowering and providing basic needs to pupils in primary schools like uniforms, sandals, writing materials and others.
According to him, SUBEB collaborated with the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation(WAPA) to train and empower parents on entrepreneurship to provide stipends for their children for sustainability.
“In SUBEB, we discovered that after COVID-19, a lot of parents due to economic challenges could not sponsor and pay the school bills of their children.
“The state came up with the idea of Project Zero, which required parents to bring their children to school and government would provide all their basic needs,” he said.
He said Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has done an exceptional job on education by providing conducive learning, infrastructure, quality environment as part of promises kept and promises fulfilled.
He commended the Ikorodu chairman for improving education by keeping to his campaign promises of providing conducive learning as part of dividends of democracy to the area.
Shittu said the All Progressives Congress (APC) stands for the good of the generality of people in the state and out to ensure that student had quality basic education and Technology as emphasised in the THEMES Agenda of Sanwo-Olu.
In his remarks, Mr Wasiu Adesina, the council Chairman, said his administration has partnered with some Non Governmental Organisations to train drop outs in different skills in order to reduce out-of-school children in the area.
Adesina stressed that his administration placed more priority on education, which was why the project was conceived out of necessity, and executed with purpose.
He said that beyond the project, the council has undergone other education-driven initiatives.
“My administration provided marker boards, teaching materials, desks and benches, and rehabilitation of dilapidated school infrastructures across various wards.
“We have also distributed the General Certificate of Examination registration fees to indigent students and initiated an ongoing support for teachers’ welfare and training initiatives,” he said.
He commended Sanwo-Olu, the traditional ruler of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Shotobi(Ayangburen of Ikorodu) School -Based Management Committee stakeholders, teachers and parent for their support in making the project worthwhile.
(NAN)
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