N-Power, veritable technology platform to boost education – Osinbajo

By Yinka Kolawole

The N-Power employment and training scheme of the federal government provides a technology platform to boost education, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has stated.

 

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

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Osinbajo stated this at the University of Ibadan where represented President Muhammadu Buhari as the Visitor to the institution, on the occasion of the University’s 2018 Convocation and 70th Foundation Day Ceremony.

In a statement by Laolu Akande, media aide to the vice president, Osinbajo said the scheme, being technology-driven, offers a technology platform to train teachers quickly and efficiently, aside from the traditional training institutes.

He stated: “N-Power, our employment and skills training programme, now employs 500,000 young men and women who were hired using a technology platform developed by young Nigerians.

“We have had the collaboration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Oracle Academy, Microsoft, Cisco Academy and IBM.   How do we train teachers quickly and efficiently, aside from traditional teacher training institutes which must be refitted to deal with new technology-driven pedagogy? We must use technology platforms to train. We have had a few eye openers in this regard when we launched our N-Power programme.

“We trained them and provided materials for continuous training using our open platform and each of them was provided with an electronic tablet which contains a lot of training and teaching materials for the large number who teach in schools in every local government in Nigeria.”

The vice president said that in the next few years, both teachers’ training and teaching will be largely driven by technology; with university education, especially scientific research, made easy by virtual reality and Artificial intelligence tools.

He further said: “The current gap in educational attainment in the country has made it clear that we had to change both the substance of education our children receive and the methods by which they are taught. The early stage investment in primary and secondary school education is key to becoming a knowledge-driven economy.

“Our policy is to develop and introduce STEAM education – Science Education, Engineering, Arts and Math – curriculum in primary and secondary schools. This curriculum covers training in Skills in cross disciplinary, critical and creative thinking, problem solving and digital technologies, coding, digital arts, design thinking, and robotics.”

Reiterating that education cannot be left to Government alone,  Osinbajo stressed that none of the world’s leading Universities depend wholly or even substantially on government funding, adding that all have evolved innovative means of financing and investment, to meet their funding needs and become financially sustainable.

(Vanguard News Nigeria)