Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Wednesday pledged his administration’s commitment to ensuring that every child of school age in the state has access to qualitative education.
Ambode, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, made the pledge at the inauguration of 20 blocks of classrooms in Ikorodu.
The classrooms are at the Anglican Primary School, Isawo, Ikorodu-West Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and at the Girls Junior Model College, Agunfoye, Igbogbo LCDA, Ikorodu.
The governor said investing in education would help to significantly improve people’s lives as it benefits people, society, and the world as a whole.
“Education enables people to read, learn, reason, communicate and make informed choices about their lives. Once educated, children can seek better jobs and strive for a brighter future.
“This is why this administration has continued to give top priority to education and investment in the future of the children through strategic reforms and planning in the education sector.
“The aim is to ensure that the potentials of our children are properly harnessed to help them compete favourably with their peers from other parts of the world,” he said.
Ambode said that the ongoing rehabilitation and construction of new blocks of classrooms were geared toward providing a more conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning in the public schools.
He promised that the projects would continue until all schools become centres of academic excellence in line with the vision of the founding fathers of the state.
“This commitment was aptly demonstrated in our 2018 Appropriation Bill which has been christened ‘Budget of Progress and Development,’’ Ambode said.
The governor said that the duty of ensuring the protection and maintenance of public infrastructure in the state is a shared responsibility between the government and all stakeholders.
He, therefore, called on teachers, community leaders, traditional rulers and members of Community Development Associations (CDAs) to help the government to protect and ensure that the new schools are put to optimal use.
In her remarks, Mrs Adebunmi Adekanye, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said that the environment where the schools were located would be conducive for teaching and learning.
She explained that the newly built schools, which had nine classrooms, a library, two laboratories, two hostel blocks, a dining hall and two staff quarters each, were constructed by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and handed over to the State Government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that with the inauguration of the Girls Junior Model College at Agunfoye in Igbogbo, the number of existing Model Colleges in the state has increased to 16.
