Never say ‘welcome to Lagos’ because it is contextually prosaic and stereotype. Rather, ‘This is Lagos’ is fascinatingly compelling and functions as a culturalised dogma among enterprising Lagosians. Indeed, Lagos is real and unrivaled in every sense of the modifiers. But then, what is the fundamental deal driving this unconstrained passion with a particular reference to education?
While education is the engine room for multifaceted growth, proferring productive life to an emerging new people, its beaming reflection lies with an innovative and enduring agency responsible for propelling quality education in Lagos. This exalted Quality Education Office of Lagos is deeply enmeshed in the cultivation of the ‘whole’ individual for societal reconstruction and reflective actions. It is a vibrant tool for learners’ personal development to cope with the complexity of the modern world through rigorous evaluation of schools. Till date, no one can debunk that quality education is the most robust and fastest moving vehicle that takes us to the station of human development.
Accordingly, the Office of Education Quality Assurance ( OEQA) in Lagos is a round peg in a round hole to ensure that quality education takes Lagos to greater heights and asserts its development supremacy in a changing world. Influenced by a vision of attaining excellence in education, it is mandated to support and enhance improvement in the quality of educational provision outcomes for learners in all schools below tertiary level.
Interestingly, the OEQA received the prestigious double International Organisation for Standardisation certificates for its quality service delivery in the state’s education sector, becoming Africa’s first government education regulatory agency to be certified. It is worthwhile to extol the unflinching commitment to quality education by the resilient efforts of the Evaluators of the OEQA as well as the financial support it derives from the state government, making quality education affordable and available, building strong individuals who will later build powerful institutions for sustainable development.
In pursuance of its primary goal of attaining quality education for development, the Jigawa State Education Quality Assurance Agency ( JISEQAA ) under the leadership of its erudite Director General Dr. Yau Ahmad Sara undertook an education tour to Lagos for learning the structures and modus operandi of the OEQA to foster development partnership. This professional synergy was aimed at strenthening knowledge sharing and transferring Quality Assurance benefits to Jigawa State. JISEQAA was earlier in Abuja for a similar mission in March this year, but was unequivocally informed that the best Education Quality Assurance practices could only be found in Lagos.
When the JISEQAA team stormed Lagos eventually, it was a milestone and vision-driven adventure geared towards unraveling possibilities to break away from disabilities. The memorable 4-day study was eventful inasmuch as it was intense. There were intensive brainstorming, presentations on Education Quality Assurance as envisaged in the operations and structures of the OEQA, as well as practical activities of visits to selected schools to ascertain the symbiotic linkage between schools evaluation and the effect on improvement.
Overzealousness about improving the state of education is the hallmark of the OEQA Evaluators. It is conspicuously embedded in their glaring competence, dedication, excellence, integrity, professionalism and quality. These are their adorable core values for uplifting quality education in Lagos so as to make the sky the starting point. They typically personify these thematic values and align themselves with the emerging dictates of dynamism in our schools.
Whereas quality remains an inspiring pillar and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the future, the Lagos State government awarded 6 public school students who emerged as the best in 2023 WASSCE with N2 million. These outstanding outcomes for learners are the direct product of quality education. Also, three female students of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls won a scholarship for a two year program in the United Kingdom this year. Is quality in education not working here?
Quality education will remain a huge illusion if learners are exposed to risks of bullying and other forms of harassment, building collapse and health hazards. It is for this reason that the OEQA collaborates with some ministries and agencies to safeguard the learners. They are the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency( DSVA), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Physical Planning, Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Material Testing Agency, Ministry of Youth and Social Development.
It is also interesting to note that the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) in partnership with OEQA has introduced an online safeguarding children course for all school heads and other stakeholders of Basic and Secondary Schools in the state.
Education Quality Assurance practices yield result-oriented and effective teachers in Lagos, moulded by a functional school system. In October 2023, an English teacher from Lagos, Mrs. Adeola Adefemi, clinched the 2023 African Union(AU) Continental Teacher Prize. Not only that, she was also shortlisted as one of the 10 best teachers in the world! Similarly, Mr. Bello Oladimeji Akeen, Director of Oriwu Model Senior College, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, emerged as the best School Administrator in Nigeria following his remarkable leadership and unwavering commitment to delivering quality education.
Is this not the 21st Century? Is it not full of enigmatic challenges for innovations? That is why Jigawa State will not afford to lose contact with the prevalent trends that have transformed the OEQA to a formidable front. With its mentoring role of uplifting JISEQAA higher, OEQA has made its impact resounding and will continue to echo for the creation of human capital through quality education. As a member of the team that went to Lagos, I was bewildered as to the extent of attainment of quality of schools and their learners’ achievements across subjects and grade levels.
Indeed, education quality assurance is a paradigm shift from the hitherto traditional mode of school inspection to a global practice that stands the test of time. Accordingly, Lagos leads, others follow. That was why the JISEQAA humbly submitted itself to Lagos for the indelible mentoring. Surely, other states will follow suit.
Abdu Abdullahi
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