Kunle Adelabu
-Calls for more investment in educational system
A chieftain of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and the Senator represented the Lagos East Senatorial District between 1999 and 2003, Senator (Sir) Adeseye Kingsley Ogunlewe, KJW, has expressed his disappointment at the level of education in Ikorodu, especially at the primary level.
Sen. Ogunlewe who was a former Minister of Works, said that it is worrisome that pupils at public schools does not have access to computer education that would empower them to attempt computer -based examinations that make them qualify for the model schools across the state.
The elder statesman spoke with THE IMPACT and other media at the marking of his birthday with students across the Ikorodu Division at the Dr. Akinola Ogunlewe STEM Education Centre (AOSTEM Centre), Apalura off Akin Ogunlewe Avenue, Igbogbo.
“All of us must work together, because I am not too happy at all why?, Sen. Ogunlewe asked and further provided reasons.
“We have 22 model colleges in Lagos State and four in Ikorodu division, but, yet, there is no opportunity for our children in the public primary schools to have access to computer.
“They cannot participate in the common entrance examination to all these model colleges, So, it is outsiders and people who are in private schools that are predominant in our model colleges which is not pleasing to me.
“I want more pupils in our public schools to have access to model colleges, so for them to be able to do that, we must provide them basic tools which is computer -based training so that they can excel in their qualifying examination”, he said.
While emphasizing that Ikorodu is a leading community that pride in education in Nigeria, Sen. Ogunlewe also stated that the Division must work towards supporting educational development to produce more Professors, captain of industries and leading figures in other field of human endeavours.
He charged the next Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government to take computer – based education and innovative learning a priority in primary schools.
“It must be our priority. Education is what Ikorodu is known for all over the federation. When it comes to rating, Ikorodu is the best education. We have the best educationists in Nigeria and in Africa. When we talk about education, we talk about the Odesanyas, Awojobis, Professor Olorunimbe Ogundipe, Professor Sanni, Professor Wahab and numerus others
“They are much and we must be able to build more professors and it’s by catching them young and that is when they are in primary school. We must start teaching them how to study science, technology innovation and that is where the world is moving and that’s why I would prevail on whoever would be the next chairman of Ikorodu Local Government, to let that be his priority.
“We don’t have land for agriculture again. The industrial estate that we have need trained hands to work in this factories, so we must train our children for the future and there’s no other way than to do so
Emphasising his unhappiness, Sen. Ogunlewe, called for more investment in primary education to make more encouraging for parents to bring their children and wards into it instead of private schools.
“I am not so happy with the standard of education, it is low particular at primary school level. Private schools have taken over the educational system in Lagos State, where we have over 18,000 secondary schools out which are about 100 public schools and it is a lot more expensive to run the private schools, so we must invest more in our public schools, so that parents can bring back their child to public schools
“All of us that are in government now went to public schools, why are we not developing the public schools that we benefited from to the extent that a mechanic is now proud to take his child to a private school?
“Public school should be the best because they are cheaper, they are more reliable and we have more teachers there. All the teachers in public schools are career professionals, we must return back to the public schools
“Bu we must train them in modern way of teaching, and to achieve this, we must have teachers that can teach them physics, chemistry, biology and other subjects. They cannot impact this knowledge on our children as it is done everywhere in the world.
“That means that we must train our teachers too and pay them properly. All over the world, teachers are well paid because that is the foundation of a nation. They must be paid them very well. They must build staff quarters for them in all the secondary schools so as to attract more people to the teaching line”, Sen. Ogunewe said.
