Stakeholders in the education sector have reiterated the need for partnerships between governments, school administrators, teachers, parents, and foreign organizations in order to achieve the intended aim and develop a sustainable education ecosystem in Nigeria and Africa.
Stakeholders agreed on this at the current 2022 and 14th Total School Support Seminar and Exhibition (TOSSE), held at the 10 Degree Event Centre, Oregun, Lagos and hosted by Edumark Consult Limited.
The exhibition’s with the theme: “Building a Sustainable Education Ecosystem in Africa,” was attended by participants from Tanzania, the United States of America, Finland, Spain, and states from each of the country’s six zones.
Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, CEO of Edumark Consult, Total School Support Exhibition (TOSSE), urged educators to embrace change, be creative and stop seeing the sector the way it was 10 years ago, saying everything keeps changing.
She said, “The message is that every educator must remain creative because, as I am speaking to you, so many things are changing minute by minute in the education sector. Talks about this are how we used to do it some years ago are over because the mindset must change for us to see and understand that the future is no longer exactly the way we perceive it today and, as such, all stakeholders in the education space must be ready to key in and embrace change”.
The special guest of honour and Lagos State Commissione for Education, lauded private sector investments in the education sector in Lagos and challenged them to bring along children from low-income families who cannot afford the high cost of learning.
She attributed the various challenges facing the country to a lack of education and poor learning opportunities and advocated that those that are not privileged should be given the opportunity to be educated to ensure peaceful coexistence.
The Commissioner assured that the Lagos State government would continue to make education available to all and encourage further partnerships to ensure that no one is left behind.
“We need to make education available to all. Lagos no longer has the land to build new schools in every community. Every problem we have in Nigeria is traceable to lack of education. There are more children in private schools in Lagos than in public schools. For every public school in Lagos, there are 22 private schools. Nobody should be left behind. I challenge you to take up this challenge.
Adefisayo urged the private school operators not to show less concern about children that are not in school, saying the education of the poor that we fail to cater for will disturb the children we trained in schools”.
Regarding her contributions, Dr. Olufemi Ogunsanya, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN), and Founder of Oxbridge College, lauded the Lagos State government’s strive in education and urged the federal government to replicate the same at the national level.
Ogunsanya called on teachers as determinants, builders, moulders, and career developers of children to continue to do so with every sense of commitment.
The exhibition, which continues tomorrow, also featured presentations titled: “Co-Creating a Sustainable Education Model: The Finnish Experience,” presented by Axel Sointu and Patrik Bredbacka; and “Recruiting, Retraining, and Retaining a Good Team,” presented by Yemisi Ogunlade, an education consultant and school improvement specialist. She is the Principal Consultant at Plumptre Advisory.
