Coderina Education and Technology Foundation has sealed a partnership with the Ekiti State government to train children in public schools coding, robotic, artificial intelligence and Machine Learning.
Already, twelve schools from a mix of urban and underserved communities have been carefully selected by the government to participate in the training, which will again position the state, dubbed as the fountain of knowledge.
The idea is to prepare the youths for the skills they require to be employable and successful in the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) by Coderina, a not-for-profit organization that leverages technology as an enabler for gender, social and economic change.
Meanwhile, as part of the partnership, Coderina has donated 12 robotics kits to the 12 schools through sponsorship from partners including SAP, DOW, Ford, FIRST and the LEGO Foundation.
Nominated teachers and students from the 12 selected schools came together in Ado Ekiti for 2 days between the 17th and 18th of December, 2020 to partake in the inaugural training. A community of practice was also created for the teachers to continue the learning and sharing process.
The 12 schools under this pilot phase are expected to ramp up to participate in the regional FIRST LEGO League Challenge; an experiential hands-on learning program that inspires young learners to pursue a career in STEAM (Science, Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. James Owolabi, emphasized the importance of skills such as creative thinking, coding and AI as being important in the future of work as well as for entrepreneurship.
The Governor pledged his support for the initiative and promised to ensure that the program is scaled to all schools across the state, in order to ensure that no child is left behind.
Commenting on the programme, the Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology Emmanuel, Dr. (Mrs) Olabimpe Aderiye, reiterated that Dr Fayemi’s administration is determined to position the State to ensure “our youth and society benefit from ICT advancement; the future is digital. This is the way to go”.
Chairman of the Board of Coderina, Femi Niyi, hailed Ekiti State Government’s resolve to equip the youth with digital skills relevant for the 21st Century Knowledge Economy.
He said, “Coderina is quite happy that the Ekiti State Government understands that when you foster creativity by teaching digital skills to students or young learners, it improves them not only academically, but helps also to improve their critical and creative reasoning and problem solving skills.
He stated also that Coderina will continue to support other State Governments willing to equip their students for the future of work.