By Jimitota Onoyume

Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring  Board, NCDMB,   has charged participants at the  16 weeks STEM training on Robotics for selected secondary schools  from  Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers and Edo states  to ensure they   pass on   knowledge and skills gained from the training to students and colleagues in their various schools.

Declaring the training programme open in Warri  South local government area, Delta state,  the  Special Technical Assistant  to the Executive Secretary of the board   Engr Harmony Kunu who was represented by Mr Festus Erubore  said  the training sponsored by the board was designed to enhance quality of education in the country.

He further commended the resource persons and trainers from Contego servo, Odyssey educational foundation, Phoenix girls tech foundation for the training.

“Onbehalf of the Nigerian content and monitoring board I thank the board that has put this together. Let’s us put in our best to acquire the knowledge from here. It’s a train the trainers programme. What you pick from here is what you will pass on to others in your school. “, he said.

“I wish all of us a fruitful interactive session. The focus of the board is to develop local content .”, he added.

Dr Elizabeth  Eterigho in her opening remark harped on the  values of STEM education , urging participants to see themselves as change agents.

She said : ” This program is designed to sensitize, train, and empower teachers and  students with the essential Robotic skills and mindset required to improving the quality of education, especially in STEM in an evolving global economy. The program involves:- A. One week STEM teachers training that will enhance the use of Robotics in their classrooms, fostering an innovative and engaging learning environment for all STEM students. B. Twelve (12) weeks hands-on practical for students to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in robotics and providing solution to their community problems with reference to the SDG.

“At the end of the training some of the Key Takeaways would be; Integration of Robotics in Curriculum: We will explore ways to seamlessly integrate robotics into the STEM curriculum, making learning more interactive and relevant.  Fostering Creativity and Innovation: Through robotics projects, we aim to cultivate a culture of creativity and innovation among our students, encouraging them to think outside the box and develop novel solutions. Promoting Inclusivity: We will discuss strategies to ensure that all students, regardless of their background or ability, have access to robotics education and can benefit from its potential. Collaboration and Teamwork: Robotics projects inherently require collaboration and teamwork. We will emphasize the importance of these skills in achieving common goals and solving complex problems.”

Participants were drawn from Community secondary school , Kalio-Ama Okrika Rivers state , Community secondary school , Rumuoro Ogbakiri Emuoha, Ozolua Grammer school ,Ologbo, Ajoki secondary school Ajoki , Okotie Eboh Grammer school ,Sapele , Iwere college Koko, Nana Model college,Warri , CSS Okutukutu/Etegwe and Epie National High school Kpansia , Yenagoa .

Some of the participants , Saniyo Wisdom , a Biology  teacher from National High school ,Kpansia, Chima Nelson , a Mathematics teacher from CSS Rumuoro,Ogbakiri Emuoha, Rivers state , Ogan Deborah of CSS Kalio  Aka Okrika ,Rivers state and MacLean Dolly who spoke to the Vanguard expressed gratitude for the opportunity, assuring  they would apply knowledge gained in their teachings and also pass same to their colleagues in school.