Over 700 newly admitted students of the Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET) have been advised to sustain the culture of quality healthcare that the institution has been known for over the years.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Barrister Tokunbo Wahab, gave the advice during the 22nd Matriculation ceremony for students admitted into full-time programmes for the Y2021/2022 session held at the College in Yaba, Lagos.
He stated that being a 21st-Century healthcare provider demands critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can make healthcare providers stand out in their profession.
While making reference to the huge population of the State and the pressure on the limited healthcare professionals, the Special Adviser enjoined the matriculants to contribute their quota to the increasing healthcare needs of residents of the State, saying that Public Health Practitioners play very important roles in the health care delivery sector.
Dr. Wahab, who was represented at the ceremony by Permanent Secretary, Office of Special Adviser on Education (OSAE), Mr. Waheed Kasali, pledged that the office will continue to provide necessary institutional support that will make the College remain the first to reckon with across the country.
He said that the matriculation of over 700 healthcare providers at once shows the State government’s commitment to the promotion of quality education geared towards a rewarding future for the youth, adding that Education and Technology as one of the core pillars of the T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda underscores the importance attached to education being the foundation upon which other development pillars rest.
Wahab added that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has consistently ensured that significant budgetary allocation is provided for education as evident in the rapid infrastructural development presently being witnessed in most schools across the State.
Also speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Parastatals Monitoring Office, PMO, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oke-Osanyintolu, advised the matriculants to be driven by their passion throughout their educational pursuit, imploring them to shun vices capable of derailing them from achieving their academic goals and pursuits.
In his speech, the Provost of the College, Dr. Moyo Kasim, acknowledged the transformational strides of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the institution through the Office of the Special Adviser on Education.
He listed several achievements of the College since its over 100 years of existence, saying that LASCOHET is still ranked as number one among health technology centres in the country due to the past and present efforts of visionary leadership in the State.
While presenting some of the College’s requests to the Governor through the representative of the Special Adviser, the Provost appealed for relocation of the College to a bigger and permanent site.
He cited the instance of the 13 new programmes being offered by the College as one of the reasons why the college needs a bigger and more spacious location, adding that more healthcare professionals from the College are also needed at the primary healthcare sector in the State.
Dr. Kasim also enjoined the matriculants to be aware that any field in the health sector is a calling that must not be handled lackadaisically considering the fact that people’s lives would be committed to their care after the successful completion of their academics.
