Funmi Ogundare
As schools resume for the 2023/2024 academic session, the Chief Executive Officer Edumark Consult Limited, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, has called on its directors and proprietors to start thinking of projects and programmes that would transform the education sector.
Ogunde, who disclosed this recently at the 15th edition of the Total School Support Seminar and Exhibition (TOSSE) themed, ‘Transforming Education Across Borders’, in Lagos, explained that it is not going to be business as usual once school is in session because the world is changing rapidly, adding this may leave parents and schools owners overwhelmed.
Ogunde stated, “How do you close this gap? That is why the school owners and teachers have to be prepared and develop themselves very well, or else there will be (an) emotional crisis. Education cannot be run the way it was done before. So we need people in charge who will be prepared to do things differently. It is not going to be business as usual.”
She expressed excitement about how far TOSSE has come in the last 15 years, saying that it shows that people are really thirsty for knowledge and things that would build communities and make them to learn and be aware of new things within the education sector.
Ogunde, however, expressed concern about how some schools were poorly established, saying that there are too many of such at all levels.
The Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Dr. Gbolahan Elias, commended Edumark for its progress, saying that the nation’s wealth depends on the people’s skills.
“We should not underrate the importance of education. Training of teachers is important at all levels. Government regulation is also very important,” Elias stated.
The programme witnessed experts making presentations on whistle-blowing and confidential reporting, leadership, and how to use technology effectively, among others.
An IT consultant, Dr. Suleiman Shaibu, stressed the need for people to learn how to use technology to connect with others on social media, adding that the country should spend more on automating processes and reviewing the curriculum.
“The government should invest in public schools and send students for exchange programmes within and outside the country,” Shaibu explained. “The minister of Innovation, Science and Technology is also putting together a committee that will focus on Artificial Intelligence. It is a step in the right direction by investing money and efforts in it.”
