C/River Launches Smart School Programme
As part of measures to ensure that secondary schools in the state are ICT compliant and fully digitized, Cross River State Government has commenced its Smart School Programme with a pilot scheme at Government Secondary School, State Housing Estate, Calabar.
The programme, which is in partnership with Samsung West Africa Electronics Ltd, will ensure that seven secondary schools in the state benefit from the over N50 million worth of computer laboratory.
Apart from the Smart School programme, the partnership is expected to give rise to the establishment of a Samsung Technology Academy in the state.
Unveiling the programme, the Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, represented by the Deputy Governor, Prof Ivara Esu, said the initiative was a testimonial that signed MoUs by the administration are beginning to come to fruition.
“The project is focused on training the trainers and Calabar will soon be a smart city. Fibre optic cables have been laid, relevant contracts have been prepared and very soon, wherever you are, you will be able to access the internet.”
He charged the beneficiaries to use the facilities wisely in order to meet the demands of the 21st century technology and to centre allow others to benefit from the initiative.
Making the presentation recently, Samsung Managing Director, represented by the Head, Enterprise and IT Business, Mr. Rotimi Agbola, said the initiative would make quality education delivery a reality in the state.
“Education is a basic human right and it is something Samsung takes seriously. We also believe that Cross River State and Samsung Electronics share the same goal in improving education, hence our smart school and global lining concept is going to impact on the lives of the people.”
He noted that the school will focus on the “training of 50 teachers in basic computer literacy, provision of teachers with access to tools, empowerment of teachers to access digital contents, as well as conducting assessment of students’ progress and providing them with learning tools from any location.”
Explaining that the Smart School in Calabar is among the first three of 10 ICT laboratories which Samsung intends to roll out across the country in the nearest future, the Managing Director said: “Guidance from teachers who understand the technology will be the first step for students to gain the skills needed in a rapidly advancing ICT world.”
Commending the governor for his passion for the full digitisation of the state, the Commissioner for ICT, Chief Offu Aya said: “Long before coming into office, Ayade realised that one of the major tools required for the liberation of the state from the quagmire of poverty was to build a robust knowledge economy with ICT as the critical enabler.”
According to the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Godwin Ettah, “the smart education programme has three folds which include the training of 50 teachers to retrain their colleagues; negotiating with Samsung to provide ICT centres; and the building of a Samsung Technology Academy in Cross River state.
“Arrangements are in top gear for the establishment of two ICT centres in each of the 18 local government areas in the state to move Cross River from having a minimal four JAMB centres to 36.”