Lagos education: Hamzat, Rhodes-Vivour disagree over public school standards

Lagos State Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has rejected criticism of the state’s public education system by ADC governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

Rhodes-Vivour had criticised the condition of some public schools in Lagos and described the growing dominance of private schools as a reflection of shortcomings by successive administrations.

He made the comments on Thursday during a town hall meeting involving candidates contesting the Lagos governorship election, where he outlined his proposed education reforms.

The ADC candidate argued that the large gap between private and public school enrolment showed the need for greater government investment in public education. He proposed increased spending on school infrastructure and measures to make quality education more accessible to residents across the state.

Rhodes-Vivour said his proposed administration would establish schools closer to communities at local government and ward levels to reduce the distance students have to travel. He also proposed improved salaries and training for teachers.

He criticised the condition of some public schools, referring to schools in Amuwo-Odofin as examples of facilities requiring attention. He called for greater investment in human capacity development and changes to the way students are taught.

The ADC candidate said education should give students practical knowledge and problem-solving abilities rather than relying mainly on conventional teaching methods. He also suggested that Lagos could study education models used in countries such as those in Scandinavia and China while developing an approach suited to Nigeria and Africa.

Hamzat, however, disagreed with the assessment that Lagos’ education system had failed.

The deputy governor, who is also the APC governorship candidate, pointed to the performance of Lagos students in international competitions as evidence that pupils in the state’s public schools could compete beyond Nigeria.

He cited the performance of students from Surulere Grammar School in an international competition in England, where he said the students emerged winners among participants from 66 countries.

Hamzat also disputed claims that students in Lagos public schools lacked adequate command of English. He maintained that such a generalisation did not reflect the performance of students across the state.

The deputy governor further pointed to the number of Nigerian professionals working in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. He cited doctors, teachers, nurses and technical engineers as examples of Nigerians whose education and skills had enabled them to work internationally.

According to Hamzat, the presence of Nigerian-trained professionals in foreign countries showed that the country’s education system was capable of producing people with skills that could compete globally.

He nevertheless acknowledged that there were still areas requiring improvement in Lagos’ education sector. Hamzat said the government had not addressed every challenge but argued that education development was an ongoing process.

He said the focus should be on identifying existing gaps, protecting gains already made and introducing further improvements to the state’s education system.