Impressed by the State Government’s massive rehabilitation of schools and outsourcing of maintenance to facility managers, through the Lagos State Infrastructure Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA), Principals, Teachers, Contractors, Stakeholders and Students of affected schools have commended the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration for creating an enabling environment for quality education in the State.
Expressing delight about the ongoing rehabilitation in public schools, the Principal of Ijaiye Housing Estate Senior Grammar School, Mr. Oyetunde Oladipupo, lauded the government for changing the face of public schools with the transformation of infrastructure such as buildings, ceilings, laboratories and lavatories as well as the introduction of facility managers to oversee the maintenance of the schools.
He said: “The State Government has really tried concerning renovation of my school and since the work has been completed, the staff are really enjoying the facilities.
It has helped them to discharge their duties effectively and the students are really enjoying their new learning environment, which has reflected positively in our results in the last external examinations, where the students did perfectly well”.
Also, the Principal of State Junior High School, Oyewole, Agege, Mr. Dapo Okunuga, said the school was in dilapidated condition before the intervention of LASIAMA, saying: “The buildings in my school before the renovation were cracking and the floors are almost gone.
We tried our best but we couldn’t handle it. So we wrote letters and we are glad that LASIAMA came to our rescue”.
Similarly, the Head of Vocational Studies, Sasa Community Senior High School, Alimosho, Mrs. Adenike Delefunmilayo, said the renovation of the school was a welcome development, adding that the installation of new fans, lights, boards and conducive environment has impacted positively the attitude of both teachers and students.
Speaking on the structured maintenance framework newly introduced in schools, the Head, Monitoring and Inspection Unit of LASIAMA, Arc. Yusuf Awoyemi, said before handing over any facility for management services, the Agency ensures that the facility is already in good condition.
According to him, “We do renovation and rehabilitation of the facility before outsourcing it for structured maintenance.
We are also involved in supervising and inspecting all rehabilitation and renovation work as well as seeing to it that facility managers work to the agreed terms”.
He added that the present administration is giving priority to the provision of functional education infrastructure in the State with a special focus on the replacement of roofing structures, windows and doors of classrooms, as well as the renovation of complementary facilities like toilets, flooring, lighting and painting.
Arc, Awoyemi disclosed that outsourcing the management of the facilities serve two purposes: one, to ensure it lasts long and two, to empower indigenous professionals and artisans, adding that all the facility managers placed in charge of each school are strictly monitored in order to make sure they follow the scope of work.
A School Facility Manager, Mrs. Tinuade Adelaja, commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for the massive rehabilitation of schools and outsourcing of maintenance work to private facility managers.
She said: “This is the first time l am seeing something like this in the State. For him to have even thought about this, it is good.
When we started operations, LASIAMA gave us a scope of work which we are to abide by, like maintaining existing furniture and general cleanliness.
You know cleanliness is next to godliness. We also ensure sewage management and disposal of waste bins among others”.
Based on Mr. Governor’s mandate, LASIAMA has given education facilities a priority through major and minor rehabilitation of public schools across the State as well as introducing, for the first time in the State, a six-month structured maintenance framework for about 94 schools that were recently rehabilitated.
