The role of education in any society cannot be underestimated. Education should be the sole focus of any government that desires the good of its citizens. It is to the credit of the Sanwoolu administration that it has remained focused on raising the bar for quality education in Lagos State.
To deliver on its promise, Governor Sanwoolu inaugurates the Special Committee for the Rehabilitation of Public Schools under the leadership of Mr. Hakeem Smith. The Board of SCRPS comprises eminent professionals who have excelled in their chosen field of human endeavor. Some of them are Architect Adebanjo, Engr Yetunde Holloway, Mr. Babatune Raji, and others.
One cannot but agree with Allan Bloom who says; “education is the movement from darkness to light”. This is because not a few people are disenchanted with the state of public schools in Lagos.
It should be noted that public schools suffer from environmental degradation and infrastructural kwashiorkor. It has been a pitiable sight as students learn in a pathetic and life-threatening atmosphere.
However, things started taking new dimensions when Governor Babajide Sanwoolu ascended the podium of governance in Lagos State. With an irrepressible desire and a gargantuan zeal, Sanwoolu swung into action and today, the tides have indeed changed positively concerning infrastructural decay in public schools. It should be emphasized that the strong focus of the Sanwoolu administration is premised on a strategic blueprint. This aptly tagged T.H.E.M.E.S. THEMES focuses on Traffic Management, Transport, Health, Environment, Education, and Technology. The Education part of this strategic process has received enormous attention with the huge investment in infrastructural development. Governor Sanwoolu on the assumption of office had decried the poor state of infrastructure in public schools. He immediately declared zero tolerance for the poor state of infrastructure in public schools.
To accelerate and actualize the core vision of revamping schools’ infrastructure, Governor Babajide Sanwoolu inaugurated the Special Committee for the Rehabilitation of Public Schools (SCRPS). The committee headed by Mr. Hakeem Smith has since been the veritable channel through which public schools have experienced massive transformation and growth.
The Hakeem Smith-led committee remains the cynosure of public spectacle as the populace watched in utter astonishment the beautification of public schools in Lagos.
Since its inauguration, SCPRS has rehabilitated close to 100 schools while over 300 classrooms at various stages of completion are being constructed and renovated. Construction of hostel blocks with a target of over 1,000 beddings is also almost completed in the model colleges. The government has also factored the critical issue of security into its school infrastructural development project. Some watchtowers with alarm belts and perimeter fences in order to enhance security have also been constructed. This is a noble feat as it addresses the concerns of parents about the safety of their children in public schools. This major intervention will also eliminate the insecurity incidences where hoodlums invade schools to cause mayhem and threaten the lives of both students and teachers.
According to John Dewey, “Education is not preparation for life. Education is life itself”. This quote sums up the focus of the Sanwoolu administration in creating a conducive learning environment for students in public schools.
The facilities that are being installed in the schools attest to the fact that the Lagos State Government is making education life in its own right for both teachers and students.
The provision of state-of-the-art furniture for both students and teachers aligns with the above that education is life in Lagos State. SCRPS has provided over 100,000 student furniture as part of its intervention in public schools.
It is the innate resolve of the Sanwoolu administration to build new schools and incorporate ICT to drive teaching and learning through infrastructural needs. The government should however ensure regular maintenance of the infrastructural facilities.
It is expected that the Sanwoolu administration will remain focused in sustaining qualitative education in Lagos State.