As the organisation mandated to facilitate regional cooperation and integration for sustainable development, DAWN Commission organized a lesson and experience sharing session among Southwest State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on classroom management systems in collaboration with Lagos State SUBEB on the 27th of January at Dover Hotel, Ikeja.
A fall out of the 2020 Southwest Education Summit, the Session created opportunities for States to intimate each other on ongoing reforms in classroom management while making commitments to adopt good practices learnt from the event. Lagos State in particular used the Session to provide a snapshot of the EKO Excellence in Child Education and Learning (EKOEXCEL) initiative and its effect on classroom management.
The welcome address for the Session was delivered by Hon. Alawiye King, the Executive Chairman of the Lagos State SUBEB. He appreciated DAWN Commission for initiating and facilitating the programme. According to him, engagements such as this should be done regularly and sustained for the educational advancement of the Region. Hon. Alawiye King explained that technology was a useful tool in improving access to quality education across board.
In his opening remarks, the Director-General of DAWN Commission, Mr. Seye Oyeleye, expressed his delight at the materialization of the Session. According to him, the presence of the SUBEB chairmen at the Session was a testament to their commitment to developing the education sector of the Region. He urged States not to relent in their efforts in increasing access to quality education. The Director-General laid emphasis on the role effective classroom management played in improving learning outcomes.
Dr. Muyiwa Bamgbose, Chief Strategic Officer, Education Advancement Centre, delivered a keynote address at the Session titled, ‘Technology Aided Classroom Management Systems’. He explained that children in basic education today, termed generation alpha, are more technologically inclined than are given credit for. Dr. Bamgbose said the onus was on the relevant education stakeholders to integrate technology to make learning more fun and engaging for them thereby improving learning outcomes. He provided an inexhaustible list of available technological aids in classroom management, some of which include attendance, grades and report, security, ebooks.
Representing the Honorable Commissioner of Education, Lagos State, Mr. Adeyemi Adebayo, Director PPP, Lagos State Ministry of Education delivered a goodwill message at the Session. He noted that it was beneficial for all Southwest States to excel collectively rather than individually. He intimated the attendees on some of the technology backed innovations in education in the State. Examples include EKOEXCEL, EKOEXCEL Lite, and Eko Digital.
Goodwill messages were also delivered by a representative of New Globe, Dr. Kunbi Wuraola and National Moderator, Civil Society, Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), Mr. Babatunde Omole. Dr. Wuraola made a case for the mainstreaming of technology in education. She asserted that the digital age provides the Southwest with an opportunity to retake its place as the country’s pacesetter in education. Mr. Omole on his part urged the Southwest States to be intentional in the educational development of the Region while using evidence-based approaches to address challenges.
The SUBEB Chairmen present and those ably represented shared information on ongoing classroom management reforms in their respective State. Ekiti State revealed that at the Early Childhood Education level, classrooms are provided with smart televisions. Teachers in primary school are also trained to focus learning on the experiences and existing knowledge of the pupils. Ogun State reported that printed out rules are pasted in the corner of the classroom while teachers are expected to model good behaviour. The State has also successfully onboarded 5,000 teaching staff into the Microsoft 365 platform for the purpose of professional development. The Ondo State representative informed the attendees that classrooms in the State are being designed to be pupil friendly and engaging while the use of technology is deployed for the purpose of monitoring schools on an ongoing basis. In Osun State, ICT materials have been supplied to selected schools with lesson planning in the State learner centred. Oyo State revealed that teachers are motivated through a teacher salary structure and the granting of awards to best-performing teachers. Lagos State provided details on the role EKOEXCEL plays in deepening classroom management skills and systems.
The session drew to a close with each State highlighting their lessons learnt and next step from the meeting. Some of these include the use of biometrics in data collection and digital technology for activities in the basic education sector, motivation of teachers through awards and rewards, deployment of technology for monitoring and management amongst others.
In attendance at the event were the Lagos State Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, represented by Lagos State Ministry of Education, Director of Public-Private Partnership, Mr. Adeyemi Adebayo, the Director-General, DAWN Commission, Seye Oyeleye, the Lagos State SUBEB Chairman, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, and his counterpart from Ogun State, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi. The SUBEB Chairmen of Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Oyo were represented by Permanent Secretary SUBEB, Ajayi Oluwadare, Commissioner 1 SUBEB, Princess O.A Brown, Executive Secretary SUBEB, Mr. Adeoye Bakare, Executive Secretary SUBEB, Mr. Olusanjo Adeniyi respectively.