Lagos – The Lagos State wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged the government to provide equal opportunity to children of learning ages in the state.
The state NUT chairman, Mr Segun Raheem, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Wednesday.
Raheem said that the absence of adequate learning materials and infrastructure in some public schools within the state could bring about inequality of education standard.
“If we have good structures with government providing the necessary infrastructure to some set of students and schools, while other students and schools are not getting same fair deal.
“That to me is inequality and of course that is a cheating to those that have not got.
“It is our view that not until every child has equal access to structures and infrastructure in schools, we will be encouraging inequality of education within the same setting,’’ Raheem said.
According to him, the collaboration among teachers, the union and stakeholders in education has increased the quality of education in the public schools in the state.
He said that the improved quality of education had restored the people’s confidence in public schools.
“The aftermath of the confidence has resulted in the upsurge in the enrolment in public schools,’’ he said.
Raheem said that upsurge of students in schools had similarly brought about the need for government to urgently provide more structures to accommodate more students and provide conducive learning environment.
The union’s chairman, taking a historical perspective of public schools in the state, said infrastructure development had not been commensurate with student enrolment over the years.
“When students outnumbered the available structures, schools were split into morning and afternoon session.
“That was what brought about the crash programme of Lateef Jakande who introduced the poultry shed structures for school.
“It served its purpose as at that time with the number of schools we had in Lagos state,’’ he said.
Raheem said that as at that time the union had started encouraging government to implement UNESCO 26 per cent standard on education.
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The chairman pleaded with the government to urgently provide adequate structures for effective learning and growth of the education sector in the state. (NAN)
