Lagos moves to raise school standards, improve teachers’ performance

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving teaching standards and student performance through a strengthened education quality assurance system aimed at aligning schools with global best practices.

The initiative was highlighted at a roundtable organised by the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) on Tuesday, October 20, at Protea Hotel, Alausa, Ikeja.

The meeting was themed “Adopting Global Best Practice in Transforming Education Quality Assurance in Lagos State.”

The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, said learners must remain at the centre of education policies and reforms, stressing the need for a system that delivers measurable improvements in teaching and learning.

Alli-Balogun said quality assurance should go beyond routine inspections, regulatory compliance and report writing to become a mechanism for continuous school improvement, effective teaching and stronger institutional capacity.

He added that the roundtable was expected to produce an implementation roadmap outlining clear responsibilities and measurable targets for improving educational standards across the state.

Former Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, called for a more data-driven approach to education management, supported by technology, clear performance standards and improved teacher development.

Akabueze argued that educational success should not be measured by enrolment figures alone but by whether pupils acquire essential literacy, numeracy and other skills required for future success.

He acknowledged Lagos State’s progress in foundational literacy but noted that disparities persist between public and private schools, particularly in access to textbooks, science laboratories and teacher support.

Ogunmuyiwa, Akabueze, Alli-Balogun and other stakeholders at the event

According to him, quality assurance should support teachers and promote continuous improvement rather than focus primarily on inspections and fault-finding.

He recommended stronger school-based assessments, continuous professional development, clear standards for teacher performance and reliable methods of measuring teaching effectiveness.

Akabueze also advocated digital platforms for monitoring school performance and urged the government, school administrators, parents, communities and development partners to collaborate in ensuring that every child receives quality education.

The Director-General of OEQA, Sulaimon Ogunmuyiwa, highlighted the scale of the agency’s responsibility, revealing that just 44 evaluators oversee approximately 15,293 schools and 162,000 teachers across Lagos State.

He described the workload as enormous but said the state was working towards becoming Africa’s leading education quality assurance agency.

According to him, other states have already looked to Lagos for lessons from its practices.

Ogunmuyiwa said Lagos intended to benchmark its system against countries including Kenya, South Africa and Egypt, citing Kenya’s long-standing experience in education quality assurance.

He explained that OEQA conducts whole-school evaluations, typically spending two to three days assessing each institution, depending on its size.

He added that the agency also carries out targeted evaluations of teaching and learning, particularly ahead of examinations organised by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

Comparing Lagos with Finland, where teachers operate within a system that places considerable trust in their professional qualifications, Ogunmuyiwa said Lagos still requires active external quality assurance to monitor standards and improve learning outcomes.