By Emma Okonji
Samsung Electronics West Africa, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and Skool Media, has come up with an initiative called ‘Smart School Rollout’ that will help digitise classrooms on the platform of mobile learning across unity schools in Nigeria.
The initiative is borne out of Samsung’s commitment towards the establishment of digital learning, through the use of technology within the Nigerian educational system.
The initiative, according to Samsung, would help to digitize classrooms across 104 Unity Schools in Nigeria, where Samsung tablet devices would be paired with relevant and applicable educational content, customised with Skool Media content, while also kitting classrooms across the schools with Samsung electronic boards, wireless printers and wireless connectivity.
The essence is to turn classrooms across Unity Schools in Nigeria into ‘Smart classrooms’ where learning is practical, fun, progressive and impactful.
Speaking on the new partnership, Director, Business to Business, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Charles Ojei said: “This solution provides tablets for students with relevant and practical educational content hence putting the classroom in the palms of the students. This makes the classroom interactive, collaborative and conducive for students and teachers. The solution also provides security of the device and helps the schools to filter contents consumed by students.”
He explained that the initiative would turn out to be a laudable milestone in the Nigerian educational system, giving both teachers and students control over the classroom and also helping students to stay in an atmosphere that makes learning easier and more memorable.
Skool Media, an ICT solution based initiative that attempts to redefine the goals of education to transform how learning is practiced each day, and to expand the range of measures in student achievement, in order to meet the new demands of the 21st Century, had a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Samsung electronics as a technology partner to provide technical expertise as a company that is experienced in the delivery of educational services and solution.
Commenting on the initiative, Project Director, Skool Media, Moses Imayi said: “Our aim is that through this partnership with Samsung and the Federal Ministry of Education, we can promote information, communication and technological development in Nigeria while providing tools for facilitating our process values. The vision is to see the average Nigerian student become familiar and truly comfortable with learning in a digitized classroom.”
He added that a lot of Nigerian students are not familiar with new learning tools such as tablets, electronics boards and even accessing appropriate educational content online and the purpose of the partnership is to change that mindset within the students and the teachers.
Representing the Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, expressed her excitement about the impact that the initiative would have on education.
She applauded Samsung’s effort and contribution towards technology development within the country.
“We are indeed grateful to Samsung for tapping into the goal of the Ministry of Education to train quality teachers. We encourage all beneficiaries of this project to take full ownership of the project and let the improved quality of teaching reflect in our students’ results,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary urged all stakeholders in the education sector to partner the ministry to salvage the country’s educational system.
