Chief Executive Officer, Havilah EduConsult, Philippa Okonji, speaks with Reporter, HENRY ODUAH, on her plans to engage school leaders and owners in a thought-provoking session on improving education in a technology-driven century, at the School Leaders’ Conference.
About Havilah EduConsult
Havilah EduConsult was birthed from the passion for change and the future of the Nigerian educational system. We believe that to meet up with current trends in the industry, the stakeholders should be armed with the recent and appropriate tools. So far, we have been able to reach a couple of schools in and out of Lagos with some of our training programmes.
The conference
The conference will be for school leaders and owners with the theme ‘Raising the Bar’ on August 17 at the City Club, Surulere. We are inviting people in the school business – the proprietors, headmistresses or masters, people in the administrative department, headteachers et cetera. Someone from the Lagos State Ministry of Education will be there to talk to us about quality assurance. We have a few persons who have in one way or another contributed to the event, but generally it is self-sponsored.
Choice of theme
Why we chose the theme ‘Raising the Bar’ is because we thought that school business cannot continue to be business-as-usual. Innovations are unfolding daily and educators must be in tune to ensure that the children we are raising are 21st-century-compliant.
This is the first edition of the conference and we are hoping to make it an annual event. We have contacts with schools outside Lagos, but we are not certain of the number to expect from those outside the state. However, it is open to as many people that can come. We have an educational chat group on WhatsApp involving people from all over the country.
In fact, we have room for as many schools that can make it there, whether public or private. We can accommodate as many as 250 participants. We’ve sent flyers and there is a fee attached to it.
Quality assurance
Quality Assurance is a programme introduced in Lagos State where inspectors go to schools to inspect the quality of education in such schools. So we would have them talk to us about what to look out for when they arrive at any school and how to prepare for them.
We are partnering with the Lagos State Ministry of Education. As I earlier said, one of the inspectors in the private school arm of the Ministry, Mrs. Adeniyi, will be there to enlighten us on what quality assurance entails. Inspectors from the ministry will be going round private schools to ensure that (the schools) comply with the quality the state wants in terms of education. What she is coming to tell us is what people should expect when they see inspectors in their schools, so that such schools are not taken unawares. It is like giving us a brief on what to expect, what needs to be done, the things to put in place and the things you need to be practising before they come, so that when they come they would find the necessary things there. Those who pass the quality assurance inspection will be given a seal.
We are also going to have someone to talk to us about information and communication technology (ICT) and how it involves children; how children can use it to enhance learning in the 21st century world. Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, an educationist, will be there to give the keynote address on how to raise the bar of education.
Another speaker would talk about law and how it affects school owners and how to ensure we operate within the confines of the law. We would also have a session for learning about taxation. There are a lot of taxes that come up, so we would know the ones that are necessary for school-owners.
We would also have an exhibition where schools will be able to display their wares.
The inspection
The essence of the inspection is not about passing or failing; rather it is to help schools put their acts together and an attempt to try and regulate what goes on in schools. It is to make school-owners aware of health and safety measures as well as good practices in teaching and learning activities.
Rating quality of education in Nigeria
There is a lot to be said about quality of education both in Lagos and the country. There is no standard regulatory body; so everyone does what they think is best. You find some schools investing in materials, resources and training of their staff. More often, the pupils from these schools do very well. However, not all school owners are concerned with such; some just get away with the barest minimum they can; at the end of the day, they churn out half-baked products. Until attention is paid to welfare and training of teachers and a body is put in place to regulate what goes on, most schools are still going to continue churning out pupils whose sole intention is to pass examinations at all costs. Education should produce well-rounded, knowledgeable young people.
Ban on PTA levies in Unity Schools
I think Unity Schools should be uniform in their operations. These schools were supposed to be for medium income families and therefore not too expensive. When levies come in, it might take the schools out of the range of the people it is meant for.