IWD: EKOEXCEL Affirms Commitment to Gender Equality, Inclusion

Funmi Ogundare

The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board’s (LSUBEB) through EKOEXCEL, a transformational intervention launched by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2019, has joined the rest of the world to celebrate its female teachers and administrators for their unique roles in society, to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day ( IWD), themed ‘#BreaktheBias’.It said it will continue to ensure gender equality and access for all female teachers and pupils in Lagos’ public schools. It also reaffirmed its commitment to gender inclusion in its enrollment drive and that female teachers, would enjoy equal benefits as their male counterparts in their quest to fulfil their life goals and ambitions in all its schools.Some of the teachers include the Head Teacher of Lagos State Model Nursery and Primary School, Mrs. Florence Bamigbade, and Mrs. Akinde Peace Adeyemi, a primary six teacher in the same school. Others are Mrs.  Ajoke Adeola Adeyemi who has been teaching for 8 years and Miss Ajala Mutiat Temitope, a primary five teacher.They expressed excitement about their chosen career and the fulfilment in imparting knowledge to children as the world appreciates their contributions.Mrs Bamigbade said, “I believe that a female teacher can influence pupils better. Being a mother is an added advantage because we know how to pull children closer, relate with them and make them more focused. I’m happy that EKOEXCEL has been enabling me to discharge my duties effectively through adequate training and also giving a bright future to our female pupils.”According to Mrs Adeyemi, “I speak positively to my pupils, share experiences with them, respect their opinions and become friends with them. As we celebrate another International Women’s Day, I wish all my female pupils a better future.”This year’s 2022 International Women’s Day ( IWD), themed ‘#BreaktheBias’ encourages a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. It calls for diversity, equality and inclusion for women.Marginalization of women in economic development and in social and political spaces is a worldwide phenomenon.In Nigeria, the cost implication for educating a girl child is relatively high but the  Lagos State government has changed that narrative  by introducing free quality education and improving the learning experience at the basic education level with the introduction of the EKOEXCEL programme.Since its commencement in 2020, EKOEXCEL has moved over 18,000 headteachers and teachers, including an impressive number of women, from analogue to digital teaching, using tablets and updated curricula. Other impacts of EKOEXCEL include a drastic reduction in the number of out-of-school children in the state by enrolling them in schools through the ‘Leave No Child Behind’ policy.