Lagos Partners Microsoft to Train 18, 000 Teachers – Commissioner

Lagos State has partnered Microsoft to train 18,000 teachers to enhance computer literacy towards achieving a world best teaching and learning practices, according to Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, commissioner for Education.

Adefisayo said this while discussing plans of the Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration for education on an online show, Covinspiration, moderated by Mr Dayo Israel, special representative to the United Nations, and British Council Global Change-maker.

The event was to keep the public abreast of the activities of administration in the last one year.

The commissioner said: “This COVID-19 lockdown period avails us the opportunity to improve our teachers. For instance, we partnered with Microsoft and they are teaching 18,000 of our teachers on digital literacy.

“So, they are going to come out of this training, being able to work comfortably with Word and Excel which is going to be done through the Zoom App because of the social distancing order.

“So, first of all, they are learning to be computer literate straightaway.”

According to her, computer literacy is of importance at this point when technology is evolving for the advancement of teaching and learning processes.

Adefisayo added that the introduction of Eko Excel Programme, which was part of the administration’s THEMES agenda, had improved the teaching and learning experiences in classroom between the teachers and pupils.

She added that the government and private sector were investing in online teaching and learning at this trying times, saying devices were being given to students for online learning.

“We have continued to call for devices and people have continued to give us, we are going to start giving them out within a week. Parents will be excited,” she said.

The commissioner said the online digital class would not be stopped after the pandemic, saying it would be used to reinforce teaching and learning.

According to her, the ministry is at the final stage of recruitment processes for 2,000 teachers in order to boost the standard of public primary school education in the state.

Adefisayo said the government, through the ministry, was looking at employing teachers every quarter, saying the rate of retirement of teachers was very high in Lagos.

She said the Sanwo-Olu’s administration had granted the ministry permission to replace retired teachers.

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“The most important aspect of learning is the quality of teachers and we did not have enough teachers to actualise the set plan for learning in our public schools,” she said.

On school resumption, the commissioner, who noted that the ministry could not give the exact resumption date, said the government was watching the trend of the pandemic.

“We cannot say specifically that we are going to open on so and so date. We are also working with the federal government because it is not a decision that any state can take unilaterally.