BY MUSBAUDEEN SHEKONI

One hundred and twenty – eight public secondary schools in Lagos State received N2 million each from Governor Babatunde Fashola as reward for outstanding performance in the Lagos Eko Secondary Education Project.

The governor also recognised 24 principals and teachers (12 each) and said they would travel abroad for further training for their hard work in the implementation of the Eko Project, a World Bank-assisted initiative that provides direct grants to secondary schools for infrastructure upgrade and training.

Speaking of the impact of the initiative at the Governor’s Education Award held at the Havens, Ikeja, Fashola said performance in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has tripled from 10.4 per cent in 2008 to 38.5 per cent in 2012.

The governor also praised the pupils who performed during the event, including Temitope Ejide and Omowunmi Shadare, the two comperes, Innocent Momodu, who gave the welcome address, and others.  He said they were proof that the government was making progress in improving education.

“If we give them a chance; if we guide them from the back and steer them in the right direction, they will not only take care of themselves; they will take care of us. All of the events we have seen today performed by the Lagos State public school pupils represent the face and the emerging character of Lagos State public schools,” he said.

Fashola said the award was instituted three years ago to encourage healthy rivalry among schools.