The Lagos State government on Thursday disclosed that it has spent over N23.6bn on construction and upgrade of critical infrastructure in the education sector in the last three years, confirming that efforts are geared towards giving comprehensive teaching in the schools.
Folasade Adefisayo, the state Commissioner for Education, noted this at EQUAL Education Summit, which was organised in collaboration with the state’s Ministry of Education and Office of Sustainable Development Goals and Investment held in Lagos.
“In the last three years we have spent N23.6bn on our upgraded infrastructure in the education sector. The projects covered not less than a total number of 1,036 schools in the state,” Adefisayo said.
The commissioner also disclosed that N1.1bn was spent on the fees of students who partook in the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) in 2021, adding the same amount of money would also be paid for the students this year.
She explained that out of the money spent, 1,449 unique projects representing 51 percent, were carried out which included 96,334 dual unit furniture, adding that it covered 1,036 schools.
Adefisayo said, “The State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu,started transforming existing schools so that they are conducive for learning. In 10 years, people will pass by the schools and be proud of them.”
She highlighted some of the schools to include Veteran School, Agege, Elemoro School in Ibeju-Lekki, Ogonbo School which was built with toilets for the physically challenged pupils
In her welcome address, Permanent Secretary, Office of SDGI, Abosede George, said the Summit, “presents a veritable platform to showcase the strides of the state’s Ministry of Education in improving the education system and opening up opportunities for public private partnership interventions and mutually beneficial investments across the education value chain in Lagos State.”
“One of the primary essence of governance in a democratic society is to create an environment where common values of literacy are instilled. Ambitions for this effort are essentially captured in the SDGs 4 which aims to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
“The roadmap to achieving the targets of this ubiquitous agenda requires deliberate discussions and debates. There are new knowledge horizons and opportunities for strengthened solidarity and partnerships to meet the interdependent challenges of sustainable education and deliver genuine impact in the society,” she added.
