Resumption: Lagos charges schools on approved academic calendar

The Lagos State Ministry of Education has charged schools in the state to adhere strictly to its approved academic calendar, for the delivery of quality and sustainable education.

The Director-General of Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, said this in an interview with our reporter in Lagos on Friday.

She said that both private and public primary and secondary schools were expected to resume for the 2022/2023 academic session on Sept. 5, dismissing claims in some quarters that it had been shifted.

According to her, OEQA, as a regulatory agency, met with stakeholders across board in public and private schools, principals and school owners, to develop a harmonious and unified calendar.

“Sept. 5 remains; a lot of work has gone into the calendar, we are looking at the learning days and have embedded public holidays, hoping that these efforts will be appreciated and there will be compliance.

“In developing this year’s academic calendar, we met about four times, virtually and physically with private school owners, stakeholders, public schools stakeholders, principals, to come up with this document of a calendar where students are to spend a minimum of 180 learning days.

“The idea is geared towards having a unified academic session, holidays for the Christmas, New year, Easter, Muslim and other national remarkable days such as Independence, Democracy, Children’s and others,” she said.

The OEQA Director-General said that the 2022/2023 academic calendar considered flexibility in schools.

She said it prioritised harmonised instructional days of learning to ensure that students spent productive learning hours in the classrooms.

“Only 15 schools, including those operating international curriculum, who wished to adopt different dates from the Lagos State approved harmonized calenders, have made their flexibility known to the body,” she said.

According to her, when going out to monitor compliance, it will be done accordingly.