… Harps on Safety Measures
The Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) has commenced visitations to schools to monitor the compliance level with Government directives on the 2023/2024 Harmonized Academic Calendar.
Speaking during the recent exercise, the Director, Quality Assurance, Mrs. Hameedat Sanni, who led the team of OEQA officers to some schools within the Agege Zone informed that the objective of the exercise was to verify schools’ compliance with government directives and evaluate their readiness for the forthcoming academic session.
Mrs. Sanni reiterated the critical importance of implementing safety measures within the school environment to ensure the protection of both students and teachers. She emphasised the mandatory participation of school teachers in a free online training course on Safeguarding and Child Protection which is accessible via the OEQA website: www.oeqalagos.com.
Whilst stressing the significance of pre-resumption meetings between school management and members of staff to facilitate effective planning and preparation, Mrs. Sanni underscored the imperativeness for school proprietors to uphold the educational standards and quality that the State is renowned for, by aligning with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S Plus Agenda.
Sanni also emphasised that all private schools must obtain Approval Letters from the State Government through the Agency. This can also be accessed online.
Earlier, the Director, Monitoring Investigation (OEQA), Mr. Kamardeen Akodu highlighted the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in designing the Academic School Calendar. He stressed the importance of adhering strictly to the stipulated resumption dates while allowing flexibility for schools facing legitimate challenges.
According to him, schools without permission on flexibility are mandated to resume on Monday, 22nd April, 2024 for the Third Term 2023/2024 Academic Session.
Akodu highlighted the State Government’s keen interest in collating data on returning students and teachers, stating that the information is vital for assessing the readiness of the school for academic activities. He stated that all findings from the monitoring exercise would be relayed to the State Government for review and action as necessary.
During the inspection, the team meticulously examined various documents including Mark Books, Subject Attendance Books, School Diaries, Class Registers, Staff Attendance registers, and Teachers’ Lesson plans, among other pertinent records.
Schools monitored included Government Senior and Junior Secondary Schools, Ifelodun Primary School and Lagooz Secondary School, Agege amongst others.
The monitoring team comprise top officers of OEQA including the Director, Quality Assurance, Mrs. Hameedat Sanni; Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Mr. Remi Abdul; Director, Monitoring and Investigation; Mr. Kamardeen Akodu; Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Zonal Director, Agege zone Mrs. Okunade, Ms. Adepeju Adeyemi and an Assistant Director, Mr. Sheriff Sanni.
