TechQuest STEM Academy, a nonprofit technology education provider, has partnered with the Lagos State government and IHS Nigeria Limited, one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared telecommunications infrastructure in the world, to improve digital literacy and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in Nigeria.
Speaking on why the programme was organised for the teachers, the executive director, TechQuest STEM Academy, Dr. Itoro Emembolu, said building digital capabilities of teachers would help arm young people with in-demand skill sets that today’s knowledge economy requires.
She added that it would provide the teachers with practical activities that they can engage with and ultimately impact their students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“The reason we’re carrying out this training is to support teachers across Nigeria with the requisite knowledge and skill to build the capacity of their students in science and technology. We are starting with Lagos State and will extend to 10 states soon. We believe that the practical aspects of education would help to encourage young children and students to engage with the sciences, technology or STEM generally,” Emembolu told journalists.
She further said STEM is the foundation for modern-day economic growth and equipping young people with the required skills will be critical if Nigeria wants to fully reap the benefits of a digital economy championed by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
The ‘Mission-T’ app provides indigenous STEM and ICT content to make knowledge transfer more practical and interactive for the teachers. The app comes fully equipped with relevant resources that have helped 8,000 students and teachers in all states of the federation.
Apart from the fact that the app is downloadable with 22.35 megabytes of data and supports e-learning, several resource materials with text and video such as basic digital electronics, computer science for primary school pupils, robotics and App Inventor for intermediate, advanced web development and advanced digital electronics, are available for download.
With support from the ministry of education, the ‘Mission-T’ is an initiative with several sub-set, including teachers’ training, classroom engagement, problem-solving skills, which were delivered during a technovation challenge, tech entrepreneurship and idea incubation dedicated to improving the integration of the STEM app into Nigeria’s education system.
The in-person teachers’ workshop was held between February 8 and 11, 2022, at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa-Ikeja, Lagos and supported teachers in delivering science, technology engineering and mathematics courses across public secondary schools in Lagos.
