T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍˇËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ
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EDUCATION
Kaduna Trains 13,000 Teachers on ICT John Shiklam in Kaduna The Kaduna State government has commenced the training of 13,000 senior secondary school teachers on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The Deputy Director, Schools in the state ministry of education, Idris Aliyu, who disclosed this in an interview at the Kaduna ICT hub, said the training was initiated under the state government’s secondary school e-learning project. According to him, the training is expected
to prepare teachers for the senior secondary school e-learning project coming up in September, adding that 10,000 tablets loaded with over 300 books are ready for distribution under the first phase of the project when schools resume in September. He said the project would start with senior secondary one (SSI) female students in all girls’ boarding schools in the state after which it would be extended to boys until each SS I student has a computer tablet. Aliyu added that the next batch
will be SS II students, followed by SS III, stressing that by the end of 2018, all secondary school students in the state will have a computer tablet. He explained that the training of teachers was aimed at ensuring the success of the programme “This is why we are training the teachers before school resumes in September, such that as soon as the students are back in school, we will distribute the tablets to the teachers and students and they will all be on the same page.�
L-R: A teacher at Ansar Ud-deen Nursery and Primary School, Isolo, Lagos, Mrs.Victoria Adedokun; immediate past President, Rotary Club of Lagos, Gladys Modupe Sasore; HeadTeacher of the school, Mrs. EM Adeniyi; Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos on Sports, Mr. DejiTinubu; and Editor, Quramo Publishing Limited,Tahirah Sagaya with the pupils of the school as they pose with their award as the best school in phonics during the grand finale of Read Project, organised by Rotary Club of Lagos, in conjunction with Quramo‌recently etop ukutt
Firm Launches Programme to Boost Teaching, Learning in Africa Sunday Okobi and Emmanuel Ella eThink African Learning Network (ALN), the first certified Moodle partner in Nigeria, has launched a first-of-its-kind programme that would allow schools across Africa to collaborate and share resources online through its learning management system. The co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of eThink Education, a rapidly growing, privately owned corporation, Mr. Brian Carlson, said it is the first to offer Moodle hosting and services in the country and other regions in Africa. Carlson noted in a statement that the Moodle launched by eThink African Learning Network (ALN), would allow member institutions to collaborate, easily share resources and provide a connected educational experience to learners across the continent. He added that with a shared background in both education and technology, the corporation was founded on a
vision to change the way students and teachers interact using the cutting-edge open source learning management system. “It also provides K-12 institutions support, hosting and training for the learning management system Moodle which is used by millions of learners worldwide.� He said the partnership of the certified Moodle among Nigeria, United State and the Caribbean, is aimed at providing Moodle services to colleges, corporations, government entities, K-12 schools and districts in Nigeria and Africa at large, adding that the Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle is a free open-source platform that is being used across the globe to bring learning online. “With over 100 million users, Moodle is the most widely used learning platform in the world. It allows educators to share educational resources in a web-based format, enabling students to learn onthe-go via mobile devices while saving
teachers and students valuable time. “Moodle allows educators to easily incorporate online resources and innovative eLearning tools and strategies into their lesson plans to enhance classroom learning,� the project CEO added. Carlson added that “eThink is excited to become the first official Moodle partner in Nigeria. As a partner, we will be able to service the Moodle needs in this territory, a moodle which has already been widely adopted throughout Africa, and we look forward to supporting institutions and businesses to leverage the benefits of an incredibly flexible and affordable eLearning solution. “The Moodle by ALN will allow students and teachers at various institutions to collaborate and easily share resources directly through the platform, regardless of physical distance. This network allows institutions to share or co-teach online courses with other institutions and offer social learning opportunities for learners across the region.�
School Proprietor Harps on Quality Education, Graduates 130 Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Proprietor of Solid Fundamentals Montessori Academy, Tudun Wada, Nasarawa State, Prince Emmanuel Obiagbona, has urged parents to as a matter of necessity, provide sound education for their children and wards with the aim of helping them to stand tall in a competitive society. He made the call recently at the sixth graduation ceremony of the school in which 130 pupils and students; 38 from secondary, 32 from primary and 33 at the nursery school levels graduated.
He said the schools’ primary motive is not to make profit, but to invest in the moral, social and academic wellbeing of the students and enjoined parents and guardians to desist from using the present harsh economic situation of the country as an excuse not to invest in their children. “Parents should do the utmost best in the progress of their children and should not be stumbling blocks. Some parents prefer to buy clothes than pay for the school fees of their children. Where your heart is, that is where your treasure will be. “We are not out for profit but for
community service. Many times, parents will not pay school fees and will wait till end of term before giving excuses which are usually tied to the harsh economic situation. Kindly take out time to pay their school fees because we all go to the same market.� In her remarks, the Proprietress, Mrs. Mayen Obiagbona, said the management and staff of the school were confident that the secondary school graduating students could be referred to as the most well-behaved Nigerians of their age after being equipped to face a larger society where they will most often have to take decisions on their own.
My Diary, My Strength In furtherance to my earlier work on legacy, it is important once again to reiterate the very important subject. A gift by will, especially of personalproperty,oftentimesisavaluablereceivedfromapredecessor and/or previous owner. A property left to you, a business you have begun to run at the demise of your loved one, cash you could turn over in its multiples or what have you, helps you to grapple head on with the essential needs of life. If he is given the grace to, “a good man (or woman) leaves an inheritance to his children.â€? Of a higher cadre than an inheritance is a legacy. Now well into the second half of my forties, I took a stock of what I was given and what I hopetogiverecently.IformerlyrealisedthatIwasgivenbymydeceased parents, a number of astounding legacies. None of them is material, but all of them have been my bedrock, references, tools, strategies, blueprints and my “modus operandiâ€? for living. Each of my legacies is simple really. The beauty of each is that it has been applicable to the dierent concerns and issues of my life, as well as to the dierent quiet and serene times of my life. They are applicable to my dreams and hope and ultimately, will deďŹ ne where I spend my eternity. My legacies surmount any inheritance. Often times, when I am bold enough to display them, they have caused me pain, much trouble, being misunderstood,buttheyhaveneverbeenopenlyjudgedasunjustiďŹ able. In this, I speak my stance, my view points, my ‘non-verbal’, my ‘verbal’ my rationale and my actions. Do pardon my coinages, dear readers, I can’t presently ďŹ nd in my repertoire substitute English words. In the 12- and-a-half years only that I knew my mother before she passed away, she drilled so many strategies into me that to this day, I still wonder how on earth I could have internalised so much in so short a time with anybody. She a teacher, who had studied education in the UK and at the University of Lagos and had taught both in England and in Nigeria, left me a legacy, the art of documentation- keeping a diary. Sound documentation and record-keeping would stand you out in teaching any day. My mother, Mrs. Adeyinka Latunde-Dada, penned and had me pen onto the very many calendars on the walls of our home and into both our diaries, things we were going to do (thus capturing time futuristically); things that were being done (thus managing the time that is presently at our disposal); things we had done or tasks complete (thus taking stock of the things we had used retrospectively/historically); things we may be doing in the months left of that year (thus mastering time proactively); and things we possibly could not envision that year, but would tackle the following year (thus ennobling the coming year). Yes! My mother made me keep my own diary. It was one of the standard practices at home. I remember one or two of them as quaint little girlie books she’d bought from Leventis Stores at the top of our James Robertson Road, Surulere home then in the 70s’. My ones must note my chores after school and at the weekend as standard entries and in correct spellings too! Check that they were done and tick as done she would! She marked my completed duties with ticks as you would a right sum! I had rewards at times for chores well done. She was a teacher with an eye for details and the evidence of pedagogy. Her diaries housed her own evidence. Dearest colleague of our noble profession- teaching, do you have evidence? Are your record-keeping skills up to date and in the standard formofyourlanguageofteaching?Areyourlessonnotes/plansconcise? Can you explain your stewardship in the past, at present and what it would be in the future? Are you on top of time or does time rule you? Omoru writes from the UK
Edo, Ondo Produce Semifinalists in Cowbellpedia Maths TV Quiz A student of Gloryland Secondary School, Igarra, Edo State, Anita Alabi; and another from Model Secondary School, Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State, Henry Famuyiwa have emerged as the first set of semi-finalists in the junior category of the 2017 Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show, sponsored by Promasidor Nigeria Limited. Oseghale Ailuelohia of Mind Builders High School, Satellite Town, Lagos; Abdusamad Ahmad of Flora College, Ilorin, Kwara State; Stanley Odebeatu of All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha, Anambra State and Olali Diepreye of Belary Schools, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State did not make it to the semi-final stage. Alabi and Famuyiwa, who garnered 90 and 105 points respectively, could not conceal
their excitement as they screamed and embraced their teachers who expressed confidence in the students’ ability to advance to the finals. Alabi, the only female in the group, who had a perfect score in the qualifying examination in March, said her performance in the competition would make her father proud. Famuyiwa, whose hobbies are drawing and singing, said he looks forward to celebrating his success with his schoolmates. In the senior category, Michael Paul of Excelgrace Academy, Gboko, Benue State and Margaret Chibuzo of Dority International Schools, Aba, Abia State with 105 and 110 points respectively scaled through to the semi-finals. Paul had a perfect score in the qualifying examination, while Chibuzo scored 95 per cent.