BY EBUN SESSOU

Chairman, House Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, has charged the 20 Education Secretaries to concentrate more on monitoring and evaluation system in the Primary Education sector of the state.

He made this call recently at a meeting with the 20 Education Secretaries of the 20 Local Government and 37 Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State.

Alawiye-King disclosed that the meeting which will be held twice in a year is an opportunity to know the challenges facing primary schools and to proffer solutions.

He explained that the Committee is ready to assist the secretaries in any way possible so that their performance can be felt in the education sector.

According to him; “The need for the meeting became necessary after the just-concluded 3rd Lagos Education Summit which exposes some major shortcomings in the performances of secondary school students.

Another lawmaker, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi who spoke passionately on the need to look into performances of pupils in primary schools especially in riverine areas said there are no motivational allowances for teachers in those areas from the state government.

Also, Hon. Adebimpe Akinsola noted that inadequate number of teachers, instructors and major infrastructure had hampered effective operations of primary schools.

On his part, the Chairman of Education Secretaries, Mr. Oduloye Taiwo, said the mandate of the institute is to ensure the day-to-day running of the primary schools in Lagos State.”

His words; “We ensure that we see to the proper learning of our students/wards and that teachers are teaching according to the guideline and if there are challenges, major damages, even our progress report, we always send it to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).”

He lamented the challenges facing the institution including insufficient transportation, government policy on the development levy, shortage of teachers in primary schools due to non-recruitment of teachers, speedboat for riverine areas, non-severance payment for teachers in the riverine areas.