By Vivian Onyebukwa
Winners have emerged at the Bunmi Adedayo Foundation Tech Relevant Teacher (TRT) project after a 4 weeks rigorous training.
TRT is an annual event that brings together relevant stakeholders in the education space to talk about the school business, it’s leadership, operations, strategies, and how they impact on the quality of teaching and learning.
It is in continuation of BAF mission to empower primary school teachers with 21st century pedagogic, life digital skills, to deliver quality and practical education to pupils.
School heads and administrators, owners, head of departments, and school management boards in the low cost and medium-cost private schools, participated in the training.
The conference, which was held in Lagos with the theme, “Leveraging Technology for School Sustainability”, had participants virtually and physically. Out of 500 entries, 30 schools and beneficiaries of grants have emerged.
Criteria for selection include course completion, average score, weekend classes attendance, module 8, and every instruction also mattered.
Based on this, 50 schools were selected. Out of the 50, 48 schools sent in video clips of what were taught.
The award has a lot of benefits. The winners were not just given computers hard and soft wares, but will also have access to subject mentoring in Maths and English, and access to lintels equipment. Also, the teachers can be profiled on the elements so they can create hundreds of courses for their schools. They will equally have the opportunity to produce Maths and English, content for terminal classes like primary 6, to help them achieve more in their final exams.
In addition to these, the winners also got certificate of awards.
However, this is not the final stage. The top ten schools have been pre-qualified to compete for the final 3.
The finalist will get all the above listed gifts, plus other benefits at the end.
Among the schools that emerged are JOGI Great Era Nursery and Primary school Badagry, Aunty May Nursery and Primary school, Jesus House School, De Joyland Schools, Daarul Arqam Nursery and primary school, and Misraa Nursery and Primary School.
Others were Jumecs lnfant Jesus School, The Child Nursery and Primary School, Rev. Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu,Nursery And Primary School (REOANPS), and Diamond Peak Montessori School, among others.
Some of the teachers who spoke to Daily Sun, could not hide their joy while sharing their experiences. Owodunni Hassan Ayinde, of Superb Education Foundation, said, they learnt a lot. “Initially we were not serious, but I was motivated with gadgets and we became serious”.
He commended their lecturer, John Klutsa, for his style of training, and lauded BAF for their transparency in everything.
Martin Titilola of Team Potter’s Gate School, Mushin, Lagos, expressed gratitude to the organisers and added, “We implemented all the things we learnt”.
Oloye Kehinde Samuel of Rev Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu Nursery and Primary School, Lagos, assured the organisers that their school can now run an academic activities smoothly. “I always wanted to be digital in all I do, and BAF has helped me to do that. You can send videos on what you want the children to do. Technology has made teaching easy for us. We have cancelled the use of writing long hand; We are now digitalised. BAF has handed down to us what we might not have opportunity to have in many years. The training process was so organised. I thank the team members that organised it”.
Ohoyo of Aunt May Nursery and Primary School, Idimu said there is a great difference compared to where they were. “We have done a test run with our parents and it was fantastic. Now, we are going to train the other teachers”, he said
Speaking at the event, Ifeyinwa Ejindu, Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, commended the partnership between BAF and Cocacola. “It’s been a success partnering with BAF. In oneway or the other, we impacted our children because it is said that train a child and you have trained a nation. The children will be highly impacted. The well-being of our children comes first in our community. We are also looking forward to hear amazing stories from the winners”.
She urged the winners to imbibe what they have learned in the children to make a change, and thanked BAF for a successful programme. Ejindu also urged teachers to Keep practicing what they have learnt, and should not allow it to end there.
In his closing remark, Femi Martins, Programme Director of Bunmi Adedayo Foundation (BAF), said that by the programme, they have shown everyone that BAF is open to working with others in achieving the change that we seek within the education sector. “All we need is a willing population like the 216 TRT trained schools and the top 30 that we empowered today. We are willing to do more. I, therefore, extend our sincere appreciation to all of our beneficiaries for proving themselves worthy of this intervention. Our commitment to the improvement of teaching and learning across our schools remain strong and so is our openness to collaborative work with partners and funders”.
Yemisi Adedayo, widow of Bunmi Adedayo and Member, Board of Directors, BAF, expressed joy over the success of the program and urged the winners to continue to practice what they have learnt.
Thereafter, there was Accountability Training for grantee schools, which was led by CEO, W-Holistic Business Solutions, Olarewaju Oniyitan. The session highlighted the next phase of the project which covers mentoring and the skills for accountability. The training will last throughout the month of May.