The Executive Chairman, Odiolowo-Ojuwoye LCDA, Hon Rasaq Olusola Ajala, has celebrated teachers globally and lauded their commitment to quality services.
The Chairman expressed his appreciation to all teachers at an event organised in commemoration of the world’s Teachers’ Day celebration.
The event was organised by Inside Out With Agatha (IOWA) at Rave TV studio on Monday October 5, 2020.
Speaking about the roles of teachers, Hon Ajala stated that if not for the teachers, individuals at the event would not have attained the positions they are currently occupying.
According to the Chairman, there is need to shift from the traditional method of teaching and embrace modern pedagogic methods due to the effects of the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
He lauded the EKO-EXCEL initiative introduced by the Lagos State Government.
He stressed that the initiative was aimed at ensuring that teachers are adequately equipped in the area of information technology.
Hon Ajala answering questions from reporters after the event
He however said the virtual learning has its challenges as a result of bad network connections from internet providers and epileptic power supply.
“Our local council development, apart from Ilupeju residents, is in the lower ladder of the society in terms of financial capacity.
“This in turn has affected the children from these areas as their parents are unable to purchase smart phones for them,” he said.
He said the current challenges should not in anyway prevent teachers from equipping themselves from acquiring the basic skills in information technology.
He called on concerned individuals and corporate organizations to support government’s effort to digitalise schools by equipping them with information technology gadgets.
Speaking on the theme of the event, “Re-Inventing Teaching Method-Post Covid-19”, Hon Ajala said, “As a result of long stay at home by the students, they have no doubt been disconnected from the classroom; hence, the need for the teachers to device a way to engage them in a new method of learning.
“The teachers need some refresher courses, do lots of research in order to render quality pedagogic services.”
The Chairman therefore called for a child-center method where quiz, spelling competitions will be organised in order to improve their numeracy and literacy.
He advised the government to encourage teachers through incentive and empowerment as their rewards shouldn’t be in heaven as the old saying.
He also advised the parents to control the activities of their children on social media through parental/ guardian control in order to monitor the content their children access, saying that there are lots of abominable contents on the internet.
He enumerated some of the efforts his government has done in the area of education in the local council which included rehabilitation of some schools, free distribution of GCE/JAMB forms to the indigent students within the LCDA, free transportation to and from schools, purchasing Mathematics and workbooks for students in JSS 3 to curb mass failure in that subject.
Others were bursary awards, supporting sporting events in the primary and in the secondary schools that are not in the purview of the council among others.
The organizer of the event, Agatha Amata, thanked the chairman for not only gracing the event but also thoroughly contributing to the topic.
At the event were representative of the Nigerian Union of Teachers and representative of the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Board (SUBEB) and other dignitaries.
