On Wednesday the 4th of December, 2019, the Concerned Parents and Educators (CPE) group, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with over 109 thousand members on Facebook and a burgeoning reputation for humanitarian activities, visited the Honourable Commissioner for Education in Lagos State, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo. This goodwill visit turned out to be an educative and enlightening one, as several key issues faced in the Education Sector in the state were discussed.
The CPE group led by Mrs. Yinka Ogunde,
the founder, exchanged pleasantries with the Commissioner. This was then
followed by a speech by Mrs. Toyin Idowu, a school owner and group admin,
expressing joy at the appointment of the commissioner on behalf of the group.
“We are happy that education has been entrusted to a passionate and deeply
concerned educationist and we trust that in your time, there would be a
positive change in the landscape of Education in Lagos State”, she added.
Mrs. Idowu went ahead to outline a
couple of suggestions to Mrs. Adefisayo with regards to education development
in Lagos state. She believes that Education reform in the state would “be of
immense benefit in the short, medium and long term to all stakeholders in
education”. She concluded her speech by expressing the CPE’s willingness to
assist in the educational reform in the state by asking “How can CPE support
your administration as the Commissioner for Education in Lagos State?”
In response, Mrs. Adefisayo praised the
work of the CPE group and appreciated the visit. She acknowledged the group as
a means by which, as an old member of the group, keeps tabs on the recent
happenings in the society. She also noted the diversity of people in the
society and how they respond to situation in different ways, especially those
with harsh temperament. She blamed the state of things in the society as a
major factor affecting this and proposed reformation for those with different
views and approaches to issues as the way forward rather than ostracizing them.
Mrs. Adefisayo went ahead to address the
suggestions raised by Mrs. Idowu in her speech. On the issue of parents making
their children skip the determinant classes (Primary 6 and SS 3), she urged the
CPE group to join hands in promoting the campaign against this trend scheduled
to commence in January. She said “Some parents don’t understand what they are
doing”. She cited her experience as a 15-year-old in the university as a reason
parents should discourage this. “I did not enjoy my undergraduate experience. I
was so shy [and] frightened… I would cry at times”, said she as she went on
to explain that a certain level of emotional maturity was needed for children
to thrive in the university and other higher institutions of learning.
Another issue discussed was on Teacher
Trainings for Public school teachers in Lagos State. She announced that a
program to train about 4000 teachers in the state would commence on Monday, 9th
of December. This, she explained, was the reason behind the internal, but a
now-viral memo sent out indicating the earlier vacation and later resumption of
Public Primary Schools. Mrs. Adefisayo also talked about plans for the
restoration of Public Schools and the social ills faced by the children
including an alarming rise in suicide cases.
After the commissioner had spoken, Mrs.
Ogunde talked about the group’s excitement when the Commissioner was appointed.
She also spoke of the group as a valid means of spreading information, and about
making the information viable by verifying every post put up on the group
despite the difficulty of the task. She went on to highlight some noteworthy
accomplishments of the group, most notably the assistance rendered to schools
and pupils of Low-Cost Schools. She spoke of the willingness of the group to
support the commissioner’s efforts. “CPE is ready to support in whatever
capacity that we need to”, she added.
Concerned Parents and Educators Network (CPE) is at the forefront of agitation for education reforms in Nigeria. CPE is committed to driving change in the education sector and homes. Members are concerned about the quality of formal or informal education offered to the Nigerian child, as well as values presented to her. Join the group on Facebook: Concerned Parents and Educators.
You can also donate to the
group. Donate to the account:
Account Number: 0074641162
Bank: Sterling Bank
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