LAGOS PRIORITIZES HARMONIZED INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS OF LEARNING ACROSS SCHOOLS

Lovetvnews Nigeria reports that the Lagos State Government, in preparation of the 2021/22 academic calendar, has assured stakeholders of prioritizing harmonized instructional days of learning for all schools in the state.

In a press release obtained by this online news platform, the Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting held on Wednesday in Alausa, noting that it is important to meet for a harmonized school calendar for both public and private schools in the state to ensure that students spend productive instructional hours in the classrooms and also serve as pre-emptive measure in planning for unforeseen events and circumstances.

According to the DG, “It is part of our mandate to ensure we come up with a harmonized school calendar for all schools within the state, taking into consideration the lessons that came with the COVID-19 pandemic and the EndSARS protest. These lessons have enabled us take the bold step to consider the type of flexibility that may be needed for all our schools to ensure quality across board”.

Mrs Seriki-Ayeni further noted that the harmonized calendar would ensure that schools are held accountable on the same standards adding that the pandemic and other emergencies have facilitated the need to create proactive policies and embed flexibility that schools may need when they have some circumstances beyond their control to ensure the safety of students, teachers, schools as well as provide the best learning outcomes for our students.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Abosede Adelaja represented by the Director Basic Education Services, Mrs. Oredolapo Fagorunsi while commending the agency for its proactive efforts towards ensuring a 2021/2022 academic calendar that reinforces quality across board stressed that planning is key to quality and sustainable education service delivery. Mrs Fagorunsi reiterated the state government’s determination to moving the state to a 21st century state especially through Education and Technology.

In her remark, Chairman, Conference of Private Schools Association in Lagos (COPSAIL), Dr. Femi Ogunsanya, commended the government for organizing a highly productive and needful meeting adding that schools can have a blueprint with which teaching and learning instructions in schools can take place whilst affording opportunities to all pupils and students.