Maduako Igbokwe l Friday, July 31, 2020
ONITSHA, Nigeria – Anambra State commissioner for Basic Education, Prof. Kate Omenugha has expressed worry over the poor knowledge of Information and Communication Technology ICT among teachers in the state.
Omenugha who spoke during a briefing to announce the Anambra state education basic and tertiary education conference billed to hold on Saturday with the theme, Facing the New Normal: Post Covid 19 Education in Anambra state said the event was designed to equip students and teachers ahead of the school resumption and beyond.
According to her, the conference which is in partnership with integrated Development Konsult learning centre was designed to stimulate innovation among teachers and boast education sector as over 4000 teachers are expected at the conference.
The commissioner said that most teachers in the state do not have android phone and ICT knowledge because they do not see them as priority.
“Every teacher needs self development to move forward on the profession and ICT is the way to go now for teachers development” she said
She said that the state Ministry of education was bringing up the innovation to boast teaching and learning in the state education and to upgrade teachers to the global best practices through technology .
Omenugha said that in line with the next week school resumption in the state, they were working to ensure that teachers and stakeholders in the state education sector brace up for effective and functional education .
According to the commissioner, the conference was aimed to address the challenges in the education sector in the state at the post covid 19 pandemic and beyond .
According to her, the state government was worried about students who do not have laptop and android phone to cope in the new online teaching development in the sector .
” I understand that majority of the teachers in the state do not have android phone and wondered how they could effectively cope in the present education delivery. They do not have the android phone not because they don’t have the money but due to they do not see it as a priority.
The conference would be used to create the consciousness and understanding among teachers as well making them to appreciate the importance of android phone.
Any teacher who is not ICT compliance may not be able to fit into the present education” she said .
The Managing Director of Integrated Development Konsult IDK ,learning centre Mrs Chinwe Nweke said that the purpose of the conference was to bring up every stakeholder in Anambra state to actively involve in the education and chat new way forward for its development. She said that with due time the state would give android tablets to all students in the state for effective learning .
Speaking during the event the state Commissioner for Tertiary education Mrs Sally Mbanefo said that the state was making sure that education in the state was driven by technology .
According to her, technology is the way to go and the Anambra state government wants teachers in the state to become ICT compliance to be able to educate students for future.
She said the upcoming conference was to enable teachers in the state to be ICT compliance and to become competitive and effectively in global education arena.
“We will not allow COVID-19 to draw back the state education sector rather we expected it to stimulate transformation in the sector” she said .
