Bamidele Rallies Lawmakers’ Support for ICT Education in Ekiti 

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has appealed to all Ekiti State National Assembly Caucus members to promote information and communications technology (ICT) education across the state.

Bamidele, currently representing Ekiti Central in the senate, also asked the federal lawmakers to support the education policy initiated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji to boost the performance of the state’s students in all external and public examinations.

He made the remarks at the training and empowerment programme held in Ado Ekiti recently, describing education as a potent weapon to combat poverty, which made it imperative for all stakeholders to support the sector.  

Bamidele, the leader of the Ekiti National Assembly Caucus, donated desktop computers to six secondary schools in Ekiti Central to complement the efforts of the state government and bolster their competence in ICT.

Bamidele facilitated copyright sensitisation training for 500 students drawn from the six schools to expose them to the culture of ingenuity, innovation and independent thinking.

Bamidele, represented by his Senior Legislative Assistant, Hon. Gbenga Banji, appealed to the schools’ authorities who benefitted from the programme to apply the equipment judiciously.

He underscored the significance of ICT education at the basic and secondary levels, saying it would help prepare the students for computer-based tests, which the West African Examinations Council had decided to embrace.

He said, “I am determined to partner the state government to make education thrive in Ekiti State. For decades, education has been the only thriving industry in our dear state. It has become our heritage that needs to be protected and preserved. I will also rally other members of the National Assembly Caucus from Ekiti State to collaborate with the state government to make the dream of making the state an epicentre of academic advancement in our country realistic.”

He commended Oyebanji’s strides to overhaul the education sector through increased budgetary provision in the 2024 budget.

Bamidele lauded other initiatives like building more model schools, distributing laptops to teachers, employing over 2,000 teachers in primary and secondary schools and sustaining the free education policy.

One of the beneficiaries and a participant in the training, Olalekan Nelson Doherty of Memorial Grammar School, Ijero-Ekiti, appreciated Senator Bamidele for facilitating the training programme and donating computers for schools in Ekiti Central.

Olalekan added that the training programme would help the students hone their computer skills and broaden their knowledge of information and communication technology.

He appealed to the senate leader to make the training a continuous programme so that other schools could benefit from the scholastic drive.