Vanguardngr:
1,266 Lagos schools to get solar powered electricity soon –
Fashola
Lagos is estimated to need up to 20,000 Megawatts, MW, of
electricity for its over 20 million people, but only an average
of 1,000 MW is delivered to the State from the national grid.
According to records, the state has 906 primary schools with
859,456 pupils as well as 360 secondary schools with 633,247
students.
The thrust of the government educational policy is the
provision of qualitative education and the pursuit of academic
excellence.
Therefore, as part of efforts to enhance academic excellence,
the State government has concluded plans for the installation
of solar power across all the public schools.
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, disclosed this at
the formal commissioning of the Lagos Energy Academy last
Wednesday, aimed at producing energy professionals even as
he inducted first batch of its students.
Speaking at the academy, situated at the State Electricity
Board, Works Yard Road, GRA, Ikeja, after the commissioning
Fashola said, “Solar energy installations are going to be
installed in all the public schools in the State.
“Very soon you would see this installed in all our schools in
Lagos, so we are taking the schools off regular generators,
carbon energy.
“All public schools buildings would have solar panels on top of
them, that is where the energy is going to come from and it
would also have charging points for students who need to
charge their IPADS. So this is a foundation for moving our
schools finally to electronic and e-learning because there
would be regular and uninterrupted power,” he added.”
The governor said it would provide training for young people
to become technicians and electrical engineers and provide
training in generation, transmission and distribution.
Fashola explained that inside the academy, there are modules
on the sub-station which had been simulated as well as
transformers and all sorts of learning equipment and tools.
According to the governor, the state government’s initiative is
significant because it connects the curriculum of the academy
with the needs of the society.
Fashola said, “We are connecting our curriculum to the needs
of our society. The biggest needs of this society today is power
and as the Discos are taking position, they are going to need
men and women, boys and girls who will provide the
manpower, the knowledge and this is where we have decided
to invest, to connect these young people to jobs that are
waiting to be taken.