Press Releases

LASG To Include Library Period In School Curriculum
• As Fashola reads to primary school pupils on Literacy Day

Sep 8, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Tuesday said the State Government would consider including Library Period in the curriculum of public schools across the State.

Governor Fashola who fielded questions from pupils of Hope Primary School, Ireti Primary School, Mekuwen Road, as well as those of St. George’s Boys’ Primary School, Falomo, and St. George’s Girls’ Primary School, Falomo, in Ikoyi as part of events to commemorate this year’s United Nations World Literacy Day in the State, pledged that his administration would soon take a decision on the matter.

Responding to a question by one of the pupils as to why Library Period is not part of the curriculum of the schools in the State, Governor Fashola declared, “I wouldn’t take this as a question but rather a recommendation and we would quickly go back and consider including Reading Period in our school curriculum. I know presently there is a session for Comprehension where you are given opportunity to read, but spending more time in the Library is good, so I think it would be necessary to have library sessions in our curriculum”.

Responding to another question on whether or not burning of refuse should be encouraged; the Governor noted that the State, through the Ministry of the Environment, had in the last one year commenced a massive school awareness programme to preach against the dangers of burning refuse adding that the Climate Change Club has been launched in schools across the State.

He noted that the State has stopped dumping and burning of refuse at the Olusosun dump site adding that vapourizers and odorizers have been applied to neutralize the offensive odour the site generates.

Warning that burning of refuse endangers the Ozone Layer, Governor Fashola said the State has commended recycling of refuse at the waste conversion plant in Odogunyan, Ikorodu to produce fertilizers for farm produce.

“It endangers our planet, it depletes the Ozone Layer and exposes us to excessive heat and weather condition. If we stop burning, we can reduce excessive rain as well”, he urged.

Fashola who earlier read the book “The Story of Ajantala” written by Niyi and Funsho Fasanmi, to the pupils, urged them to emulate the main character in the book, whom he said realized that “time and tide waits for no man”.

“Ajantala realized the importance of time and it is important we keep to time because it’s a resource we’ll never get back or have enough of. What we have to do at this time, we should do and we must endeavour to be punctual and do the right things”, he urged.

He also urged the pupils to take their studies seriously and respect their teachers adding, “Without my teachers, I would not have had education and without education, I wouldn’t have been Governor”.

He also revealed that the World Literacy Day is an initiative of the United Nations of which Nigeria is a member, aimed at fighting illiteracy, hunger, poverty and disease across the globe.

Stressing the importance of formal literacy in the country, Governor Fashola, however, said it is not fair to suggest that people are illiterate by reason of the fact that they are not literate in the formal way.

“I recognize that people are literate in other ways. In their native ways, they can read, they can add sums, they can trade, they know the values of money and they can learn other things”, the Governor said adding that with the help of those partnering with the State in the Support Our Schools initiative, more people would be brought into formal literacy network in the State.

Also present at the occasion were the Special Adviser in the office of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Ronke Azeez, Board member of the Zacchaus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Libraries and former President of the Civil Liberty Organization (CLO), Mrs. Ayo Obe, the Tutor-General/ Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ayobade Obajinmi, and School teachers.