Lagos Assembly set to rejig TESCOM law

By Lanre Adesanya

The Lagos State House of Assembly has committed an executive bill for a law to establish the Lagos State Teaching Service  Commission (TESCOM)  And For Connected Purposes to the house Committee on Education and the Committee on Establishment, with a view to addressing the issues confronting the teaching service efficiency and effectiveness, as the existing Teachers Establishment Pension Office (TEPO) could not coordinate the six districts well.

This stance was informed by the deliberation following second reading of the bill on the floor of the house during plenary, the House observed that the bill would reestablish TESCOM, which was repealed in April 2005 and replaced with six education districts across the state.

Briefing the House about the Bill,  the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Hon. Olanrewaju Ogunyemi said that the bill would provide uniform guidelines and control of Post-primary institutions in the state.

He said further that some lacunas were observed in the state educational system  after the creation of the six education districts and cancellation of the then TESCOM.

“The Bill would ensure the management of the careers of teachers in secondary schools in the state. The six districts operate differently and disjointedly.

“It would ensure that teachers have an appellate body in the commission, where

they could air their views.  It would empower the commission to make decisions on promotion, discipline and employment of teachers with the approval  of the Governor,” he said.

The Speaker of the House,Hon. Mudashiru Obasa,  however wondered why TESCOM was being brought back after the House had approved the creation of the districts,  which he said have operated for many years.

“The House passed a Law that established the districts.  Have we noticed any

defect since we passed the law that established  the districts.

Nobody has spoken on the need to bring back TESCOM.

“We should be able to identify if the system is working. We must determine if the

existing system has failed to stand the test of time. Creating a new commission means we have not done the right thing.  Why can’t we insert TESCOM into the existing law rather than creating a new law,” he said.

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Reacting to this, the Majority Leader of the House,  Hon.  Sanai Agunbiade, stated that the fears expressed by the Speaker was raised during executive briefings by the Ministry of Education.

He said that the agency handling the discipline of teachers could not do much and that TESCOM would not reduce the powers of the districts,which he said could only do little in the area of discipline of erring teachers.

According to him, the districts have not failed, but that TESCOM would solve the

problems the districts and the ministry cannot solve.

In his reaction, Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Hon.  Lanre Ogunyemi said that the fears of the Speaker were founded,  but that there is a strong conviction from the Ministry that there is need for the harmonisation of the districts with the reestablishment of TESCOM.

“The districts would now handle the disciplinary cases of teachers on levels one

to six,  while TESCOM would handle those on level seven and above.  The district heads would report to TESCOM,  which has powers to take decisions,” he said.

In his contribution, Hon.Rotimi Olowo stated that the advantages of the districts

should be considered before the introduction of TESCOM.

Also, Hon. Abiodun Tobun observed that the advantages outweigh the shortcomings and that Section 7 that gives the Governor powers to dissolve

the board and appoint a caretaker committee should be properly examined,  but Hon. Yinka Ogundimu stated that this could be handled at the committee level.