Review curriculum for ICT now

A School principal, Mr Moyo Akinleye has called on the Fderal Government to review the entire curriculum of secondary education in Nigeria to incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) in the teaching-learning process.

Akinyele, the principal of Abadina College, University of Ibadan, in Oyo State made this call while offering his assessment of the impact of the Multichoice Resoure Centre on his students. While calling for its sustenance, the principal called for the review of the entire school curriculum to incorporate the technology.

“I plead with government to ensure the sustenance of this initiative and also resurrect the special grants for schools to enable them carry out renovation of schools,” he said, adding the impact has been tremendous. “It has helped us in our students’ performance.”

Complementing theory classes

One of his teachers, Mr. Owuye Bamidele said with the aid of the facility, they have been able to complement the theory classes.

“I think this has done us a great deal. Merely watching the audio-visuals, makes them gain more and have lasting impression of the knowledge unlike when it was only theory. We use it every day and we have trained all our teachers too to use the technology.

Multichoice Nigeria, in collaboration with SchoolNet Nigeria, an NGO powered the introduction of audio-visual learning technologies in 201 Nigerian schools in 2004. The benefiting schools from 21 states of the federation each got an audio visual centre from the pay TV firm to demystify science and other difficult subjects for the students to enable them have a full understanding of each subject.

Students being taught with ICT facilities

Multichoice CSR
MultiChoice while launching the resource centre project in 2004, said the initiative was its corporate social responsibility, CSR to the Nigerian people, even when the success of the novel idea seemed to be in doubt.

According to the firm, the centre was aimed to serve as effective information communication technology tool that would enhance teaching, learning and management of processes in Nigerian education system, with the first phase of the project in Abuja and Lagos.

According to MultiChoice, the project apart from the above objectives was also designed for the beneficiary schools to have unfettered access to MultiChoice Education Bouquet with a view of integrating the programmes into their curriculum in order to enhance the teaching and learning process.

An assessment of these facilities by a team of journalists justified the importance of technology in the modern education system, simplifying the theoretical studies in practical terms.

It’s a great help, says teacher
Another teacher from Community Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan , also in Oyo state, Mr. Femi Omotosho told journalists that the technology had not only simplified teaching in the school but had also enhanced students understanding of their subjects, especially the sciences.

Mr. Omotosho who identified power as the major challenge in the use of the facility also used the medium to advocate for a Nigeria content through the MRC project. With local content, every subject will better taught and assimilated by the student, he opined.

According to Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, beneficiary schhols will have access to the special MultiChoice Eduction Bouquet that comprised instructional channels such as Discovery, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge, BBC World, History channel, Animal Planet and Mindset learn at no cost to the schools.

”The Resource Centre project is part of a broad based community development strategy designed to raise the standard of education in public schools on the African continent by leveraging on the assets and experts of our digital satellite television for development and growth of African communities,”he said.

Head, Corporate Communications of MultiChoice, Mr. Segun Fayose said part of the company’s commitment towards the success of the project was provision of learning aid items to each of the beneficiary schools, which includes one Dstv decoder, on television, one DVD player, burglary proof for the equipment and, education bouquet. Others include: one small generator, one whiteboard, 50 blank video cassettes, one stabilizer, one metal filing cabinet among others.

Training
According to Fayose, MRC project did not end with the installation of the facility in the schools, as MultiChoice takes the project a step further by training teachers who can man the facilities. This was followed by a three day training workshop for teachers in Lagos. Fayose who expressed delight at the utility rate of the facility urged the beneficiaries to continue to make adequate use of the equipments in their schools.

In order to ensure teachers commitment in using the facilities, MultiChoice in partnership with SchoolNet instituted the MultioChoice Creative Teachers awards in 2006, 2011. the award is designed to reward teachers involved in the use of the over 200 MultiChoice Resource Centre Audio-Visual learning aid across the country to teach students in their classes.

Though, the company said it had spent over N100 million in training of teachers, Segun said “the management of the company is determined in ensuring that more students and teachers benefit from the initiative and recently because the company have started to see the benefit of their commitment when master Chukwuka Ekweani of Zamani College, Kaduna, a beneficiary School of the MRC emerged the winner in the essay category of the Dstv Eutelsat Star Award in Nigeria, while Precious Ezea of Government Technical College, Enugu, another beneficiary of the MRC emerged runner up in the same competition.

Ugbe however, assured that besides rolling out more Resource Centres this year, MultiChoice will soon embark on intensive unannounced on-the-spot assessment of the centre in the six geo-political zones.