Firm trains over 200 teachers on ICT

Pursuant to the 1st of June when MTN declared a 21-day free teaching for public school students in Nigeria, its ICT facilitator went further last week to train over 200 teachers on the use of ICT to deliver lecture to students.

 Speaking with journalists at the end of the exercise held at MTN Apapa branch office, Mr Felix Omojola, MTN 2013 Project Manager said that the seminar was meant to open a new horizon for teachers in the federation as it was held in three major regions in the country.

 “It was held in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja,” he said. According to Omojola, the seminar is to project the use of ICT in education adding that teachers need to create more exciting ways in getting students to understand their subjects.

 He said; “ICT is the bedrock of e-learning today. Anyone who is serious in impacting knowledge, needs to know the way of using ICT to achieve this.”

 Asked if the cost of possessing ICT will not be a hindrance, Omojola argued that the cost cannot be a barrier to the use of ICT in this part of the world saying, “over 34 million Nigerians today have access to the penetration of data from the globe.”

 He explained that through MTN, anyone can have penetration to data at affordable cost, stressing that the cost of acquiring ICT equipment and data is reducing by the day.

 “We should not be talking of cost effect but ability to use ICT to enhance learning and teaching,” he added.

 Speaking on why their firm focuses mainly on public schools, Omojola reiterated that the choice was basically due to paucity of funds in running public schools adding, “because private schools have been taken care of by the owners, hence we decided to concentrate on public schools in the country believing that they are lagging behind in ICT equipment.”

 Speaking in the same vein, the facilitator for MTN on ICT training, Mr Peter Kanmi outlined the importance of teachers using ICT to teach students.

 According to him, the innovation helps students to remember better and learn better.

 He asserted that it will help science teachers to learn together and also help students to understand easily.

 He, however, disclosed that using ICT to teach will not replace a teacher as teachers are still their guide.