Lagos govt. completes 1,097 public school projects

By FLORENCE ONUEGBU

The Lagos State Government has completed 1,097 school projects, covering 970 schools across the state, in the last two years.

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made this known on Thursday during the kick-off of the Lagos State School Infrastructure Projects and inauguration of four school buildings.

Sanwo-Olu said that the government had ensured the prompt construction and rehabilitation of 322 dilapidated public schools, while 87,000 dual composite units of furniture were supplied to primary and secondary schools in the state.

He said that the commencement of the school infrastructural projects was to deliver 300 classrooms, including seven new hostel blocks, in some of the schools.

According to him, the projects being inaugurated included blocks of 18 classrooms with administrative offices, library, and laboratory block.

Others were toilets, and one borehole each, at Igbobi Junior College, Fazil Omar Senior High School and Iwaya Onike Girls High School, Iwaya.

He said that a block of 18-classroom blocks was also presented to Akintan Junior Grammar School, Surulere.

The governor said that the school infrastructural projects would improve the learning and teaching environment in public schools.

He said that education remains the most potent tool of empowerment and one of the most tested ways to close the gap between poverty and wealth.

According to him, education provides individuals with the necessary knowledge and skill sets to actualise their potential and maximise opportunities in life.

“The vital role of education in the growth and development of a megacity like ours, has made it imperative for us to ensure that our children have access to quality education, and an enabling environment for excellent learning.

“Lagos State is rapidly changing, with globalisation and technological advancement, there is the urgent need to prepare our children for the future.

“The projects being inaugurated today will further drive the ‘Education and Technology’ pillar of our T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.

“If we must actualise our ‘Greater Lagos’ vision, quality education must remain one of our most solid building blocks.

“To accelerate our children’s access to the world-class pedagogical learning, we have aggressively embarked on the provision of blocks of classrooms, administrative offices, school furniture, laboratories, modern toilet facilities, and security across the six Education Districts and local government councils.

“Therefore, our children have access to quality education irrespective of their location,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said that his administration was convinced that teaching and learning could only effectively take place in a conducive environment; hence, the provision of new structures and the rehabilitation of existing ones.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, said that the present administration, within two years in office, was already fulfilling its promises on education.

Adefisayo said that the government had built 70 new school buildings, 197 schools were renovated, while eight new hostel blocks were built in the boarding schools.

“These projects are evenly distributed across the LGAs and LCDAs in the state, and there is hardly any school that was not touched by either a new school building, new classroom block, hostels, security structures, school fence, toilets, furniture, bore holes and so on.

“This is just the beginning. More projects will be delivered and commissioned on an annual basis,” she said. (NAN)