Lagos records 100% improvement in WAEC

By Amaka  Abayomi

Lagos — GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has said the state recorded a 100 per cent improvement in the 2012 West African Examination Council, WAEC, results, attributing the achievement to the “Support Our Schools Initiative” that promotes better teaching and learning environment in the state.

Fashola spoke at the 2013 CRS Awards/Breakfast meeting with private sector education partners where he said better results could be recorded if more organisations and individuals partnered with government on education.

The governor said: “Thank you for investing in the most enduring legacy. This isn’t just about us but about these children because if we don’t bring the right professionals, we would still be the ones to suffer for it. We have walked quite a useful distance and the results are there for all to see. The impact is already being felt, especially in the WAEC results.

“In 2007 when we started this initiative, only 7 per cent of candidates that sat for WAEC in Lagos State got credit in mathematics, English and three other subjects. It moved up to 11 per cent in 2008, 18 per cent in 2009, 21 per cent in 2010, dipped to 19 per cent in 2011 and doubled to 39 per cent in 2012. “We are not where we want to be and we hope to double our performance in 2013. This is a long term investment and we want to provide education that would respond to our needs.”

The state “Support Our Schools initiative” is designed to revamp the state’s educational system through the active participation of individuals, civil society and corporate bodies who can support one or more of the 1001 public primary, 329 junior secondary and 312 senior secondary schools and five technical colleges in Lagos State.