Lagos reviews education policy 30 years after

To keep up with the emerging smart city and sustain its investment in the education sector, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode led administration has reviewed the document guiding its programmes and activities within the sector.

In her keynote address at a stakeholders’ engagement forum on the review of the state policy on education, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule said the forum was aimed at securing the input of all concerned in the sector.She explained that the policy, which has been reviewed by a team of experts led by the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Peter Okebukola, had been preceded by a three-day retreat in December 2017.

With the theme; ‘Lagos State education policy review: Expanding access to quality education,’ Adebule said, “To produce the smart youths, our educational system must be re-engineered and schools repositioned to deliver graduate students who will blend with global trends. It is in pursuit of this goal, that we are here gathered as stakeholders in the education sector to brainstorm and agree on some reforms.

“It may be recalled that the educational policy of Lagos State was last reviewed in 1988. Although, various initiatives by successive governments have been introduced towards better education service delivery, the time has come for a total overhaul of the policy in order to holistically address all issues raised.”

Earlier in his presentation titled, “Education policy review: The journey so far, Okebukola described the new document as rich and comprehensive, saying beyond the government, implementation should be a concern of everyone including parents, civil society groups, media, school owners and teachers among others.

“A good policy is of no use if not adequately implemented. However, the faithful implementation does not rest with the government but with all the stakeholders,” he said.

In their separate contributions, stakeholders including traditional rulers, development partners, school owners and media practitioners called for adequate implementation of the recommendations and supervision by relevant authorities.

In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanye, said the government’s commitment to education informed the budgetary allocation of N126.3 billion to the sector in 2018 alone, which she said is higher than the whole budget of some states.