NIGERIA – As part of the activities that marked the 40th anniversary of the creation of Ogun State, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun have commissioned the second Samsung Smart School for Teachers, situated within the recently commissioned Ogun State Model College in Abeokuta.

Samsung Electronics West Africa launched Smart School for Teachers in Ogun State, in partnership with the Ogun State Ministry of Education.

This is coming shortly after Samsung opened its first Smart School for Teachers in Abuja in December last year.

Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Chang Wook Lee, said: “The Smart School concept is implemented in urban schools with the infrastructure, but not the skills needed to use IT for teaching and learning.”

He added, “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 Smart School for Teachers is an important step in achieving this.

Our desire is to see the average Nigerian teacher become very familiar and comfortable with using technology to pass on knowledge and to further develop the secondary beneficiaries, which are the students.”

With the launch of the Smart School for Teachers, participants will receive training to empower them in accessing digital content, share content with students, monitor students’ progress and conduct assessments.

The initiative is part of Samsung’s global effort to use technology to increase the quantity of students who have access to quality learning materials and facilities, as well as improve the quality of education given out by tutors.

Speaking at the launch of the Samsung Smart School, Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Modupe Mojota, expressed her excitement about the impact this will have on education in the state.

She applauded Samsung’s effort and contribution towards ICT development within the state and the country at large.

“We are indeed grateful to Samsung for tapping into the goal of this present administration to train quality teachers and produce top notch students. This project will indeed change the face of education in our state for the better,” Mojota said.

According to her, “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.

It is also remarkable that content from this Samsung Smart School can be beamed across other senatorial districts of the state, giving it a wider impact”.

She urged all beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity provided to deliver the best-desired results within the educational sector.

The Smart School for Teachers in Ogun is the second of five to be launched in Nigeria, with others planned for 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, Lee said. 

February 13, 2016; http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/buhari-amosun-commission-samsung-smart-school/231705/