The Lagos State Government has said that an harmonious instructional days of learning will help to create equal educational standard in both public and private schools in the state.
The Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, said this at the annual stakeholders’ meeting on harmonious academic calendar for 2021/2022 session.
She explained that it was important for both public and private schools in the state to decide on a harmonious school calendar that would assist students to spend same productive instructional hours in the classrooms.
She said, “It will also serve as pre-emptive measure in planning for unforeseen events and circumstances.
“The harmonious calendar will ensure that we are all being held accountable to the same standards.
“We are aware that some private schools, even low-cost private schools are very different, some are very similar to what public schools churn out. But there is a need to ensure that at the end of the day all schools are adhering to a certain level of quality and they will be held accountable as such.”
One of the stakeholders, chairman of Conference of Private Schools Association in Lagos, Dr Femi Ogunsanya, said the deliberation was fruitful and productive.
“The meeting is needful as it will help all schools to have a blueprint with which they can operate their schools calendar, and observe the teaching and learning in their respective schools. So that one does not have advantage over the other, it is important to have an harmonious calendar.”
She also advised the government to work closely with the private sectors, adding that they were partners in progress with them.
Chairperson of the planning committee for the conference of Association of Private Educators in Nigeria, Mrs Bolanle Adewole, also said, “The fact that they put us all on instructional time in class, I think nothing beats that and for me, it is key. We are very excited about this initiative, we are excited about the fact that everyone’s voice is being heard and it is not just one-sided. I think we will achieve much that way.”
Another representative of APEN, CEO, Supreme Education Foundation, Mrs Olubukola Adewuyi, suggested that there should be room for flexibility for private schools, adding that they had their peculiar challenges.
“I mean that as a school if we want to resume earlier, we can resume early. If we want to close later, we can close later, if we need our holidays to be longer, we should be. But it is important that our contract/instructional time with the students are completed,” she said.
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