Lagos State Govt To Provide Free Internet Facilities In 100 Schools, Recruits 1335 STEM Teachers

The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to improving the education sector through technology, in a bid to meet the challenges of the 21st century global best practices.

The State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, disclosed this at workshop/brainstorming session organised for members of the Teaching Service Commission and Tutor-Generals/Permanent Secretaries of the six Education Districts in Lagos State.

She disclosed that the State Government, in collaboration with the private sector, has commenced the laying of fibre optic cables across the State as part of efforts to provide free internet facilities in 100 Schools, adding that the Ministry has also commenced pilot installation of remote servers in riverine communities to provide internet facilities for schools in those areas.

Mrs. Adefisayo also confirmed that the Ministry has completed preparations to resume the Radio and TV lessons for students, noting that plans have almost been completed towards the establishment of a radio station while awaiting approval from the Presidency.

She maintained that teachers are critical to driving the needed change in educational development because they are the most important aspect of any school system, saying that “Teachers would be given adequate training, fortified with a functional curriculum that is technology-based and geared towards the need to improve, enhance and replace orthodox methodology”.

Earlier in her opening remark, Chairman, Teaching Service Commission, Mrs. Elizabeth Olabisi Ariyo, noted that the workshop tagged: “Education & Technology: A Symbiotic Relationships And Expected Outcomes in Post Primary Schools”, is an opportunity to present an overview of the Commission’s three-year plan vis-à-vis global trends in the Education Sector and coupled with the transformation agenda of the present administration in view of the “new normal”. 

She noted that the workshop was designed to build relationships and coexistence among the major players and stakeholders in public education with a view to serving as a veritable channel for strengthening and bonding among participants as well as creating an enabling environment to focus on the innovations and impacts of Information, Communication and Technology in the sector.

Acknowledging the global shift towards Electronic Business Management in both the Public and Private Organisations, Ariyo reiterated teachers’ readiness to adapt to the new normal as displayed during the online training amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and promised to continue encouraging them through adequate training.

The Chairman revealed that as part of efforts to realise the objectives of the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda on Education and Technology, TESCOM recently concluded the recruitment of additional 1,335 teachers, specifically in Sciences, Technological subjects, English Language and Mathematics (STEM), into the Lagos State Teaching Service to ease the dearth of science teachers in Schools. 

She commended the timeliness of the event as well as the vision and commitment of the Commission’s leadership and the Tutor-Generals/Permanent Secretaries of the Six Education Districts aimed at strategising the way forward to improve teaching and learning while leveraging technology.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Teaching Service Commission, Mrs. Toyin Machado-Onanuga, remarked that the theme of the workshop was aptly chosen, as it resonates with the State Government’s educational goals on building a formidable and productive educational system that can favourably compete with any of its kind, globally.

“Evidently, technology has taken a notable percentage in the scheme of things globally, as we cannot afford to be complacent or shirk our responsibility to harness the all-inclusive possibilities of propelling and encouraging the full integration of technology in our education system”, the Permanent Secretary said.

She further emphasised the need, as the Nation’s Centre of Excellence, to be ready to transform the learning methodology in schools across the State in accordance with global best practices aimed at enhancing significant learning outcomes in students.