In furtherance to its commitment towards sharing innovation to build a better society, Samsung Electronics West Africa today launched the Samsung Smart School for Teachers at the Federal Government Boys College in Apo, Abuja, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education Abuja.
The Samsung Smart School for Teachers in Apo will be the first of five launched in Nigeria, with others planned for Ogun, Rivers, Delta and Imo states. This will result in a collective 10, 000 teachers receiving training as primary beneficiaries, and a further 5, 000 students impacted as secondary beneficiaries, over a five year period.
“The Samsung Smart School concept is implemented in urban schools with the infrastructure, but not the skills needed to use IT for teaching and learning,” explains Mr. Brovo Kim, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa. “In line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal to improve education, we believe it is essential to equip teachers with basic computer literacy, as well as the tools they need to use ICTs for curriculum development and more impactful teaching; and the Samsung Smart School for Teachers is an important step in achieving this.”
With the launch of the Samsung Smart School for Teachers at the Federal Government Boys College, teachers will receive training to empower them to access digital content, share it with students, monitor students’ progress and conduct assessments. The initiative is part of Samsung’s global efforts to use technology to increase the quantity of students who have access quality learning materials and facilities, as well as to improve the quality of education given out by tutors.
Representing the newly appointed Federal Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan expressed her excitement about the impact this will have on education in Abuja. She recognized and applauded Samsung’s effort and contribution towards ICT development within the country. “We are indeed grateful to Samsung for tapping into the goal of the ministry of education to train quality teachers. We encourage all beneficiaries of this project to take full ownership of the project and let the improved quality of teaching reflect in our students’ results” she said. Mrs. Yemi-Esan urged all stakeholders in the education sector to partner with the ministry of education to salvage the country’s educational system. Concluding her remark, she added, “As ICT becomes more and more entrenched in our lives, it is essential that our students are exposed to it, guided by teachers who can use technology to add real value to the learning experience.”
Expressing his gratitude, the principal, Federal Government Boys College, Apo, Mr. Jonathan Mbaakaa added that for relevance in the digital age, teachers must do a lot in the area of ICT knowledge and application, if the teaching profession is to transform to global level of relevance and competitiveness. “With the help of this Samsung Smart School, I believe we will be well on our way to ensuring just that even as our teachers will not have the opportunity to easily access quality teaching resources and in return impact our students with quality knowledge” he said.
Nigeria is the latest country to benefit from the Samsung Smart School initiative, with other Samsung Smart Schools already in place in countries like Togo, Senegal, Kenya, Ghana and Rwanda amongst others.
