By Amaka Abayomi

He who opens a classroom door closes a prison door.’ This seems to summarise the guiding principles of Lagos State Government’s collaboration with its private sector partners in moving the education sector forward.

Presiding over the state’s Support our Schools Initiative’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award/Breakfast Meeting last Thursday, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State expressed satisfaction that the initiative was helping to improve the standard of education in the state.

In his keynote address, Fashola said from all indications, the state was heading in the right direction in the education sector though investment in education has a long gestation period.

“When you invest in education, it takes almost 20 to 30 years before the results begin to show. Also, when the first wrong step is taken, you’ll see the result at around the same time.

“But we have walked quite a distance and the results are glaring for all to see and this is a testament to the level of commitment we have towards this project. This gathering is to give account of what we have received in terms of support from our partners to re-build our primary, junior and senior secondary schools and technical colleges and the impacts are already being felt. If this is a measure of success, then we are heading in the right direction.

*Gov Fashola

“It pleases me every year for us to gather in the morning like this when there is no food, no champagne, no musician and we still fill this hall yearly, which is a testament to the level of commitment that we have demonstrated to this cause.

“We are here to render account of what we have received; the support we have taken and for people to understand that their efforts are not only acknowledged but purposefully deployed. That is why we have chosen to show everybody as much as we can gather, big or small what we have received and from whom and also to express our appreciation.

“What we put in is what we will get. As we invest in these children, we are also investing in ourselves because whether we like it or not, we will age someday and if we don’t train the right doctors now, be very sure that we would not find them when we need them. When you look at the kind of care Nelson Mandela is getting now, it’s because he ensured that the care providers were trained, otherwise, he would have been shipped to India.

“Who will produce water for us to drink when we can no longer work? Who will guard this City-State and the nation when we exit the stage? Who will have the knowledge to manage our pensions and investments that we have worked for all our lives? Who will build the roads and keep those roads built and maintained on which you can drive all of the fancy cars that you acquire? Who will manage the air traffic so that the private jets we have all acquired do not crash mid-air?” the Governor queried, pointing out that all would depend on a well educated next generation.

“Government is doing its best to support the students and contracts to build and refurbish their schools are no longer going to contractors but the students. And I am very proud to tell you that they have demonstrated, by the finished works, what they can do. So impossible is not an option for us. It is possible and we will deliver.”

Thanking the partners and calling on more organisations to join in the noble cause, Fashola said there is some work that also needs to be done at the1001 primary, 329 junior, 312 senior secondary schools and 5 technical colleges.

In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, expressed joy that the partnership has grown to become an enduring one and the decision to use the initiative as a vehicle to garner public support for the education sector was not misplaced.

Thanking the partners for their support, the Commissioner pleaded; “Like a growing child, we need more of your support and assistance especially in the area of creating more hygienic condition for our school children.”

Highlights of the event included a lecture delivered by the Director, Legal Services, Etisalat, Mrs. Adeola Idowu, titled CRS: Adding value to life through education and presentation of awards to supporters of the initiative, among whom were the Iya Oge of Lagos, Mrs. Opral Benson, Sir. Kesington Adebutu, House on the Rock Church, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Access Bank, Julius Berger, Flour Mills, Mountain of Fire and Miracles, Nigerian Bottling Company, MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd and Techno.