EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: LAGOS AGAIN SETS THE PACE AS THE STATE OWNED HIGHER INSTITUTIONS GAINED RANKING AMONG CONTEMPORARIES
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| R-L: Inset photography of Governor Sanwo-Olu and Lagos State Commissioner for education with LASU main entrance pictured. |
An empowered populace is the fulcrum of national development, peace and progress. Mental empowerment in most cases are crucial towards self-serving possibilities that may translate to stomach infrastructural development of the masses.
The kind of critical focus the education sector is getting in Lagos State is believed to have birthed immediate impact on the profile of the state, with the state-owned institution ramping up capacities for improved delivery of quality education and modernization of curriculum for relevance in the 21st century.
Obviously, the efforts exerted by Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration in the aspect of affordable yet formidable education of her citizenry are yielding expected results as the state-owned higher institutions gainfully improved on ranking among contemporaries in Nigeria.
In making a case for the youths, it is noteworthy to assert that more than two-third of the population of Lagos State are younger than the age of thirty (30) and these youngsters and majority have a common need; finding their paths to sustainable income for a good standard of living which is often dependent on their levels of education and/or skills acquired.
This great accomplishment of the state government is evident and in no little measure in tandem with the state legislative arm's planned youth-centered bills which is also aimed at curbing drug abuse among young people; first for a law to establish a state owned University of Education and another proposed law for the University of Science and Technology. These institutions together with the existing award-winning ones will be dedicated to breed world-class graduates and instill excellence among the youths of the state in a modern society.
The government of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu's massive investment in education in the State of aquatic splendour in the past two (2) years of his administration, has proven to be above board considering the committment of his decisive administration towards taking the education sector of the state to the most preferred level.
It is as well pertinent to acknowledge the efforts brought to fore by the cabinet members of Mr. Governor and those he has entrusted with the task of making a greater Lagos dream come to fruition, backed by effective implementation of the state policy and adequate monitoring where and when necessary.
In light of the aforementioned, it is imperative to give plaudits to the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo who has done remarkably well in her field of operation by steadfastly serving the state diligently following the approach of Mr Governor. Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Barrister Tokunbo Wahab has contributed immensely to ensure that this feat was seamlessly achieved.
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| Barr Tokunbo Wahab |
Governor Sanwo-Olu has since inception of this administration followed tightly with his promise to Lagosians during his inaugural address in May 2019, when he disclosed his T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda which included proper provision for educational development. The silent but energetic achiever and his led Lagos Executive Team have initiated and pursued major education intervention projects spanned acroaa all levels of education within the state. This definitely has started yielding laudable results and impact on beneficiaries thus adding to the landslide achievements of Mr Governor since ascending into office.
Sanwo-Olu’s plans for education are ambitious and they are being jointly and intelligently driven by capable yet passionate administrators in the State Ministry wherein initiatives like the BOS Education Transformation Plan (BOSETP), car gifts to the best performing teachers in the state, construction cum rehabilitation of blocks of classrooms and upgrade of educational facilities in hundreds of schools across the state, Public-Private Sector Partnership projects, mass literacy education of girls, and the Eko Digital Skills initiative, Job Initiative Lagos etc., are beaming a promising outlook for the state. The proactive measures put in place by the state ministry on pedagogy towards ensuring that students are gainfully engaged during the Covid-19 induced lockdown period and that they do not derail in their studies, is another remarkable initiative of the state government that beckons global recognition.
Since ascension into office, Mr Sanwo-Olu’s led administration has decisively increased the share and/or financial provision for education in the state budget. An evidence-based illustration is the year 2021 appropriation bill wherein a whooping 148billion was budgeted to be spent on the educational sector of the state alone; thus covering about 12.7% of the state’s budget and gradually closing the gap as provided for in the international benchmark of 15-20% and one-fifth of any government's budgetary allocation for education.
Undoubtedly, this government is keen on its aspirations and yearnings for a Greater Lagos and has conscientiously worked on the mapped out strategies enshrined in the agenda of the state governor to accomplish the set goal of a Metropolitan city of Lagos.
In addition to the major moves made by the proactive state government and the incidence commander of the state is the timely and strategic Eko Digital Skills/Job initiative, powered by the Office Of The Special Adviser On Education, Lagos State headed by Barr. Tokunbo Wahab in collaboration with the private sector. This initiatives was designed to empower one million students and pupils of state-owned primary and secondary schools with in-demand IT skills by 2023 and 12,000 final year students of state-owned higher institutions with required IT skills that bridges the existing gap in employment viability for Lagos youths.
Wahab once pledged the commitment of his office to the efficient implementation of the state’s sustainable educational policies that will make the state rank among the best in the world. That pledge seems not to take too long to be realised as the state’s owned higher institutions of learning are beginning to garner credible international recognition for the concerted effort exerted by this government in driving its transformation.
The Lagos State University, for instance, for the second year in a row have been ranked as the Second Best University in Nigeria in the World University ranking by Times Higher Education (THE). Even more importantly, the 38 years old institution was ranked the Best Young Institution in Nigeria as released by world ranking body. In the same vein, the Lagos State Polytechnic moved to the third spot on the webometric ranking of year 2021, with Yabatech and Federal Polytechnic in Ilaro left to be displaced at this pace, probably within the next two years of Sanwo-Olu's led administration first term in office.
The outcome of the freshly released webometric ranking of the best polytechnics in Nigeria simply implies that the quality of published research works from the state higher institution is more when compared to other polytechnics within the country, that is, the school research output and informal scholarly communication is higher than it was prior to the commencement of this administration.
"Indeed, great works commands great acceptance"
The evidential growth in the capacities of these institutions is directly linked to the commitment and passionate efforts of the major drivers of the educational revolution happening within the centre-of-excellence state.
Freelanews Research Unit has projected that this will result in a multiplier effect on the economy of the state and the by extension the country in the aspect of reduced unemployment, lessened youth restiveness, reduced rate of drug abuse and illicit activities, improved security and soaring of economic activities across the state in the long run. It is also the popular view of analysts that the governor may have indeed projected this level of achievements when he made the wise choice of putting the round peg in a rpund hole to power Lagos to a whole new level of growth through strategic human capital development.
The world is fast moving to a knowledge-based economy and Lagos is setting the pace as Africa's largest independent economy. Moreover, with the Eko Digital Skills and Job Initiatives, which are expected to precipitate a total transformation of the Lagos economy with an outlook to a very prosperous future, the best of Lagos is yet to be witnessed.
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