Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has flagged off the training of 18,000 primary and junior secondary school teachers across the 33 local government areas of the state.
This was as he kick-started the distribution of instructional training materials and teaching aids to the teachers, stating that the Oyo State Government remained determined to be abreast of developments in the education sector and to meet universal standards.
Governor Makinde, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Barr. Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal, at the event held at the Emmanuel College, Agbowo, Ibadan, on Tuesday, added that the programme was part of the government’s commitment to empowering and equipping the educators, who in turn would impart quality knowledge to pupils and students in primary and secondary schools.
The intervention programme was facilitated by Global Partnership in Education, sponsored by the World Bank in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) and Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Speaking further, the governor stated that the instructional training materials and the teaching aids would foster the capability of pupils and students to compete nationally and internationally and also equip the teachers with modern teaching tools in line with global educational standards by also adopting up-to-date teaching methods.
He said: “We have come to demonstrate and make people aware that we are moving in tandem with educational development worldwide. We all know this is a digital age and we cannot afford to be analogue. So, we need to keep our teachers abreast of developments in their sector.
“These computer tablets that are being distributed will further enhance the instructional capabilities of our teachers.
“The tablet is well-packaged with several Apps and it is meant for all our teachers in Oyo State; 18,000 in all.
“This training is going to last about two weeks so that no teacher would feign an excuse or pretend not to know how to operate the tablet.
“All subjects are included in the tablets. What you only need to do is to open the tab, go to the subject matter and begin to teach our students.
“It is indeed a teaching aid and would foster capability of our students to compete nationally and internationally because this mode of learning is not reversible. You can’t sit in the classrooms and be taught in analogue form when the age is digital.”
While appreciating all the stakeholders in the educational sector, Governor Makinde enjoined the beneficiaries to complement the efforts of the state government through their commitment and dedication.
“So, I have to appreciate BESDA, SUBEB, TESCOM, the Ministry of Education, UBEC and other members of the educational family that have put heads together for our pupils in Oyo State to take advantage of current and technologically advanced methods of teaching,” he added.
