Lagos Education Sector Still Challenged

Chairman of the Education Committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Wahab Alawiye-King, speaks with Assembly Matters on the major challenge facing education in the state and the efforts of the government to address it

How has it been since the last one year you have been in office?

It’s been very, very challenging and interesting. Challenging in the sense that none of the lawmakers has a vote, meanwhile the belief out there is that the members of the Houses must do some things. But since we made our people vote for us, we have no choice than to do things for them. Out of our resources, we still find a way to impact lives. On the other hand, it is interesting because it makes you know a little about everything concerning the House and the society and how to relate with people.

I saw an outline of some of your achievements in your constituency in the last one year…

We all know the level of poverty in our society. The major thing people need is jump-starting or kick-starting. We have people out of school who do not have anything to do and this is why one of the things we have done is to introduce the computer training programme and in the current edition, we have 160 students currently undergoing training. This is aimed at making them employable in a market that has become known as volatile and highly competitive. In a situation like this, one needs the skills to survive. We have identified the skill gap that is seriously needed in the labour market and as lawmakers, we must bridge the gap. This is why we do all these things you see us doing to assist our people.

Your constituency seems to be one of the most challenged considering the environment and the population…

This is a job we have settled for and like every other job or profession, it has its hazards. As one who solicited for their votes, I have learnt to absorb such situation since we have always expected that they would have demands from us and we must meet the demands.

You recently had a stakeholders’ meeting with your constituents. What was the outcome?

It was very interesting and mind-blowing. As a lawmaker, you must go back at intervals to your constituents and interact with them, tell them what you have been able to achieve and make them tell you where you have to buckle up. Their feedback is very important if you want to remain relevant. Where we are doing right, they pat us in the back, but where we are going astray, they correct us. That is the essence of the interactive session. In my case, the people appreciated my efforts and urged me not to disappoint them.

From your visitations to schools in the state as the Chairman, House Committee on Education, what would you say is the major challenge facing Lagos schools?

Like every other sector, resources are very limited and there are competing issues that require the use of these resources. That is why the government is appealing to well-meaning Lagosians to assist in that regard. Education is everybody’s concern. All hands must be on deck to assist the sector. This is why we also have the Save Our Schools Programme and Support Our Schools Programme just to assist the government. Like we know, it is not only the individual that would benefit from education; the society too would and if that is the case, society must assist since education is the foundation upon which other areas of life are built. We have gone round and as an insider, I know that government is doing its best in terms of renewing the infrastructure and building more for the schools in the state. With the Lagos-Eko project, rather than the schools running to Alausa to get running expenses, they can on their own carry out minor repairs and fix those little things that could hinder effective running of the schools. I can also tell you that Lagos State is investing so much on training of teachers that is human capital development and even their welfare and health.

Lawmakers also help where possible. Right now, I am organising free holiday classes for over 1,500 students in my constituency with the goal of keeping them off the streets and preparing them for the next level. This is a longer vacation and they are supposed to have themselves refreshed before their holiday expires.

If you were to score the current government in relation to the education sector, what would the score be?

It is not about number but putting them into perspectives. If we actually want to put the percentages into words, we would say the state government is really doing its best in that sector.

There is the challenge of unemployment and it is believed that it is the direct result of lack of vocational training in schools. How do you think this can be solved?

As a matter of fact, I was a member of the sixth Assembly when the bill on technical and vocational education was deliberated upon and passed into law. Now, we have measures in place to supervise, coordinate and make recommendations where there is need to get more technical and vocational schools. Right now, we have five standard technical and vocational schools. Few weeks ago, the state government graduated so many people. We have come to the realisation that to bring about development, there must be massive investment in the education sector.  If you travel outside the country you would find that like in the United States of America, apart from using your head, you must also use your hands and your heart. If you know how to use your hands and your heart, you are developing yourself and the state by becoming an employer of labour. You pay taxes and your employer pays taxes where possible.

We are emphasising that students must pass through vocational and technical studies so that when they graduate, they won’t need to start looking for jobs, but would have something to do. We are also advising parents to encourage their children to go into vocational training side by side their education.