26th January, 2011
The Lagos State Government has concluded arrangement to employ over 500 graduates in five core subjects students fail massively in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE.
This is to improve the performance of its students in core subjects like Mathematics, English Language, Biology, Physics and Chemistry.
Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Sosan disclosed that the decision was reached at Monday’s State Executive Council meeting
According to her, the state government would provide opportunities to 1,000 graduates to go for four weeks training to be carried out by resource persons after which over 500 successful graduates would be absorbed into the teaching profession in the state.
She said the move would help curb the recurring failure of students in the core subject areas.
“We have observed that in these core areas, we have competent graduates of tertiary institutions that can perform excellently if given the opportunity to teach. As a result, Lagos State Government is providing an opportunity for 1,000 graduates in these core subject areas to apply.
“They will subsequently be enlisted for a four-week intensive training, at the end of which over 500 graduates will be absorbed into the teaching service. We have discovered that many of these graduates are good in these core areas. It is just a matter of presentation,†she said.
The deputy governor stated that the scheme would expose the graduates to a four -week requisite training in educational methodology, teaching presentation and other relevant skills to function efficiently in the classroom.
“Those that will be absorbed after the training will be deployed to run intensive coaching classes during the weekends for final year students. In the afternoon, there will also be teaching for external examinations between April and June this year.
“The graduates that will be employed will be given the opportunity to get at least a post-graduate diploma in education within two years of joining the civil service to make them professional teachers. In the course of the training, they will be given allowance,†she added.
According to her, the facilitators for the training of the graduates would be drawn from tertiary institutions in the state such as the Lagos State University , LASU; Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education and the University of Lagos , UNILAG.
Sosan stated that advert would be placed in the newspapers where the criteria for their employment would be spelt out, adding that immediately after the shortlisting, the training would start by February so that the students could be coached in March, prior to their examinations.
“Apart from improving the performance of the students and to ensure that our children do well in their forthcoming examinations, this programme is also focused on making our students make up for the lost time that they have experienced due to the closure of public schools. We are helping them to make up for the losses caused by the ongoing registration exercise,†she stated.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga
