*The funding is in the (2022) budget. We want them to start next session, that is September. You start small in most things that you do, you pilot them, then you watch them grow, says Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, Lagos State Commissioner for Education

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

The Lagos State Government has said it included funding for its two newly established universities in the state’s 2022 Budget for their effective take-off September this year.

Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, Honourable Commissioner for Education, in Lagos State, disclosed this during a News Agency of Nigeria forum Friday, February 18, 2022, in Lagos.

The Commissioner for Education noted that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration is keen on establishing the universities; hence, the inclusion of their funding in the 2022 Budget of the state.

Mrs. Adefisayo said: “We have been working on this for about two years, it is not something new at all.

“The write-up was written maybe over one-and-a-half years ago, presented to Exco and it had gone to the House (of Assembly) for approval of the bill setting them up.”

She also stated: “The budget for education went up significantly this year, and that is where that huge increase is going to.

“The funding is in the budget. We want them to start next session, that is September. You start small in most things that you do, you pilot them, then you watch them grow.”

According to the Commissioner, as the fee for the existing Lagos State University (LASU) is affordable and lesser than many private schools fees, so will the fees of the two universities be when they begin academic activities September 2022.

ConsumerConnect had reported the National Universities Commission (NUC) February 8, 2022, recognised the establishment of the two new specialised universities as approved by the Lagos State House Assembly (LSHA).

The new universities are Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), Ikorodu, and the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Ijanikin.

The Lagos State Government established them through the upgrade of existing institutions: Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu; Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin and Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, in Epe.

Governor Sanwo-Olu has appointed Dr. Oluremi Olaleye, Rector of LASPOTECH, Ikorodu, as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the newly established LASUSTECH.

12 New comprehensive schools take off in Lagos

In a related development, the Lagos State Commissioner for Education has said that the 12 newly-introduced, fit-for-purpose comprehensive schools will take off across the six education districts Monday,

Mrs. Adefisayo, who disclosed this Friday, in Lagos, said the two comprehensive schools had been established in each of the six education districts in the state.

The Commissioner described the comprehensive schools as of a fit-for-purpose model, parallel to the current education system that provides suitable career-ready skills set to students with different profiles of intelligence or intellectual competence.

The comprehensive school is not a new phenomenon, as several countries have adapted to the changing skills requirement of the 21 Century technology age by designing a fit-for-purpose secondary school model.

She said: “The current path is too narrow an option for the ever-changing skill requirements of the workforce.

“The essence of establishing the comprehensive schools is to produce students who can fit into the workplace requirements.

“It is a fit-for-purpose education plan that will provide opportunities for employment and a path to entrepreneurship.”

The school would start with those in Senior Secondary One (SS1) and teaching/training would begin with core skills such as Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship, Communication, Marketing and Sales and Digital Literacy for the pilot phase, she said.

Adefisayo as well noted that the comprehensive schools would later offer subjects like Agriculture; Tech and Digital Skills; Beauty and Events; Building and Construction; Media and Entertainment.

The initiative would give the students opportunities to maximise either academics or vocation/skills acquisition, with a view to reducing the increasing rate of school dropout and actively engaging the students in their various skills of interest, said the Commissioner.