Nigeria needs more tutorial centres, says ATSO president

National president of the Association of Tutorial and School Operators, Mr Oludotun Sodunke, has said that the country needs more tutorial centres to meet up with the huge number of students who apply for external examinations.

He made this remark at the inauguration of the Lagos State Chapter of ATSO and presentation of the ASTOLAG magazine.

Mr Abiona Kayode was installed as the first governor of ATSO, Lagos State Chapter at the event.

“Nigeria is in dire need of tutorial schools operators. We have decided to carve a niche for ourselves and we are not miracle centres.  We use this opportunity to extend olive branch to others to come and join us. We also call on the JAMB registrar to embrace us, some of us have been here before he became the registrar and that is the reason we told our members to uphold integrity in all they do.  We are the one synergising all the mistakes secondary schools teachers are making. The earlier government tries to work with us, the better,” Sodunke said.

The guest speaker at the event, Prof. Godwin Oyedokun of Leadcity University, Ibadan, said that an increased involvement of tutorial centers could improve pedagogic, technical, and management skills across all levels of education.

He said, “Some studies show that the learning outcomes of most structured tutorial centres are equal to or better than those of public school students. Tutorial centers in education, nonetheless, requires a strong regulatory framework to ensure high-quality delivery and equity while at the same time encouraging investment and competition. Indeed, enforced standards are key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the private education sector and its credibility in the market. The way forward is therefore an education system that acknowledges public and private providers and has accountability mechanisms to strengthen service delivery amongst the various education stakeholders.”