Sunday Ehigiator
Fifty-seven teachers from public and private secondary schools across Lagos East Senatorial District, and 150 secondary school students, were on Friday awarded fellowships and respectively graduated from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training by the Senator Abiru Innovation Lab (SAIL).
The teachers who were categorised under the STEM and non-STEM teachers were selected from all over Lagos East, covering Lagos Education Districts 2 and 3, and were taken through 12 weeks of intensive training on Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), currently being adopted globally for training students creatively with the use of technology to make their teachings more effective and efficient.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held in the Ikorodu area of the state, the brains behind the project, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru, noted that the SAIL project was an initiative of his foundation Tokunbo Abiru Constituency Team (TACT) Foundation, in partnership with the Co-creation Hub (Cc-HUB).
He said the project was occasioned by the mandate entrusted to him by the people under the pillar of the endowment.
“Today, Secondary school students who are between the ages of 13 and 18 who are graduating have learnt about physical computing using Arduino and coding to develop various solutions to human problems. This is how Asian tigers pulled up and became one of the most technologically developed nations in the world,” stated the legislator.
Abiru added, “What we are doing today is preparing these young ones for the opportunity in the future. The jobs and economic opportunities of tomorrow will largely be defined by digital innovation and technology. The skill sets of the teachers have been greatly upscale with the Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), which is currently being adopted globally for training students creatively, especially with the use of technology to make their teachings more effective and efficient.”
Commissioner of Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, hailed the unique approach of the distinguished Senator in developing the SAIL project.
She lauded the effort of the project in equipping Lagos state teachers with 21st Century teaching skills while equally stressing the importance of including technology and other modern approaches to teaching in the country’s school curriculum.
Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Innovation and Technology, Mr Olatunbosun Alake, commended Abiru for placing a premium on human capital development.
