CPE 2020 Dialogue Provide Systemic Solutions To Problems In Education

Speaking as the keynote address speaker at the event, the former Deputy Governor and former Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, Princess Sarah Sosan emphasised on the theme of the dialogue “HOW” in solve the problems in the education sector in Nigeria.

Princess Sosan said that if we want the solution to the education sector, we must all come together as a group. She said two heads are better than one. As an individual to a nation to the global village, without education there can be no development.

“We want the solution, two heads are better than one. You as an individual to a nation to the global village without education there can be no development. Education is the power, education is knowledge, when you have education you have a tool to put yourself forward and you have a tool to make your voice to be heard”.

The former Deputy Governor said  we have different tribes nationally and we have a different culture as well no culture is superior to another because the environment  look big but one want I know is that in each culture there are values that are thought value of truth, honesty even talking about education we have formal and informal education.

Sosan said: “There are some training we don’t have to do, what you have to do, we are in the technology education, we are in the 21st Century. All this value and culture are still very relevant. There are some training they give you that deals with informal education. All this value are still very relevant and what we have to do”.

She said that Now is that there are a lot of influence outside the country, many developed countries, many of our children imbibe this culture nevertheless, parent should not miss focus, pick a good one from that culture and combine it with what you are thought here to be upright, to be honest, to be hardworking.

“Not the one that would sag your trouser like prisoner, not the one that will talk to elders anyhow, our culture still remain. Am very proud of our culture anywhere I go! African has the value of respect for elders, they have the culture of doing the right thing at the right time”.

These are the things we should continue to promote irrespective of the technological, irrespective of the new things happening globally. Our culture like even the language you see most homes now they want to speak their language, affiliation is very wrong. So our culture may continue advocate and is a great thing in the work place in the educational institution and everywhere.

The former Deputy Governor emphasis to our parents to be proud of our indigenous language and culture even right from infant. “Our parents at homes and everywhere; lets be proud of our language, lets be proud of our culture and lets speak it to our children from infant like me I always tell them you’ll be speaking English to this children, why not speak the L1 to your children”.

She said If they understand L1 they are going to understand the second language, third language in the school and easy for them. A child can learn about four, five languages easily so don’t make it difficult. Mama Nkechi son or daughter is speaking English; so you also want to speak your own kind of English and most time is the wrong, so we should encourage speaking mother language.

The interactive session with the students in primary, secondary schools were very interesting in that the students mentioned how the will love to learn in their different schools. Anchor by Dr. Ifueko Thomas. Different schools were asked to state the”how”. One of the students mentioned that learning should be done in a conducive environment.

Meanwhile, the critical question was also ask by Rotimi Eyitayo that how do we reposition the Teaching profession and the mindset of teachers? as Praise Fowowe deals with how do we encourage parents to work hand in hand with Schools to nurture and educate the Nigerian child.

Also the question of how do we create a curriculum that serves the need of the society? Anchor by Thomas. How do we change the attitude of young Nigerians towards organized knowledge as against Immediate pecuniary gains was answer by Johnson Abbaly and Bunmi Lawson really talk about how do we fund education for the huge population we already have in a sustainable way.

On her part, the Convener, Yinka Ogunde said CPE in the next decade is going to  redefine the education sectors in all over Nigeria because that is their focus. Every state commissioner of Education in Nigeria will soon be from CPE.

Ogunde said “We can tell you that because there are people who would have committed to transforming the educator sector because is not talking about things, we have to make things happening. Words doesn’t translate into actions, it is when you do things that when it done and I think that is why it is important for us as a nation now. We should talking and we should start doing. We have CPE in Delta State, we have In Rivers State, we have in Cross-River, we have in Akwa-Ibom and we do not have in Bayelsa State yet”.

The Convener of the event analyse the activities of each CPE in each state and their achievements. “CPE in Rivers State today they are visiting locus food. They are doing a lot in Rivers State when you are multilingual. You will be able to communicate in many languages. If I can say “Kedu”, if I can say “odinma”, if I can talk in Hausa. Look at Mallam Garba. He came all the way from Kano for this event. I wish I will be able to communicate with him in Hausa. Nigeria is a big country and I think communication is important”

“You and I are the society if we choose to suppress every of our cultures that means it base on our actions. You know the thing about every one of us, every one of us need just to start doing something. This little thing we are done even here. For example, brown calls us about 3/4 weeks ago they want to do about Two thousand student, when I say about 2000 students in the Northern part of Nigeria. They paying their school fees, they buy them school shoes, they buy them school uniform, they buy them school bags. If it is that alone CPE is about to do. Then we have done something”.

She explains about Kano chapter of CPE has given them three schools already and they are picking 100 Student from each of those schools.  As a pilot school three hundred, we pass their names also to the Bank so that the Bank can live with them and do their own background check so for them in CPE they are quite delight the money is not coming to them it  goes direct to those people who need it and that is interesting.

“We have Churches that are calling, we are Muslim communities that are calling and we just direct them to schools that need help whether government or private because in the Riverine there was particular report from one of our state chapter of CPE that said the Riverine community of CPE and all student wearing torn uniform and they want to take it up as a project to buy uniform for those children that’s part of it, we are not Government we can only do a little but if you buy school uniform for 100 of them have you not done something? We have put cloth on their back!”

Further, Ogunde said “To me just do your thing am not really a government person may be that’s why. I really don’t look towards that point all we do lets continue on the part of what we are doing and we make sure we carry the government along and contact to inform them on what we are doing and gradually they will see we are partners for them. We are not out to criticize government, we are here to partner with them and support with them for the benefit of Nigerian child”.

She said the main thing for her is that the corporate Nigeria to come into the education sector and spend what they are spending on “dancing” entertainment, if they invest even a quarter of that in education sector. We create teachers development programmes for them. You know my colleague already told you that CPE is developing a curriculum for training of teachers, we are focus on early year to start with. You can now imagine if we have support. You will create it and begin rebuild the teachers. You build it in a way that will improve their self esteem. You build it in way that they will make them to know that they are place in the scheme as important and they are valued.

Also, she said: you talk to the children, you say what are the problems? You talk to the parents what are the problems? We begin to designs systemic solutions to all these things. And it is possible within 6 weeks CPE was able to inaugurate 21 chapter. It is just the people’s mind and desire to do that brought all this.

Photo Caption: Chief Executive Officer, Brooke House Educational Consult, Dr. Ifueko Thomas; Convener, Concern Parent Educator Initiative (CPE), Yinka Ogunde; Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State/ Commissioner for Education and Keynote Speaker, Princess Sarah Sosan;  Literacy  Advocate/Former Miss. Nigerian, Helen Prest Ajayi, and Coordinator, CPE Oyo State, Kemi  Koleowo, during the Save Education in Nigerian Dialogue, with theme: “HOW” organized by CPE in Lagos yesterday.