Oando Foundation, Sumitomo Chemical Promote ICT Education
Oando Foundation , an independent charity and Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese chemical company have partnered to support information communication technology ( ICT) education through the establishment of three solar powered ICT Centres in public primary schools across Nigeria. This partnership, according to the foundation, will impact the lives of over 2,400 beneficiaries, bridging the existing gaps in the implementation of ICT in public schools and empowering pupils in Oando adopted schools with technology skills through creativity and learning. It will also strengthen the capacity of in-school ICT Educators to ensure knowledge transfer and successful implementation of the national curriculum on ICT.
A statement noted that the foundation supports the Nigerian government in achieving Universal Primary Education through its Adopt-ASchool Initiative (AASI), aimed at a holistic improvement of public primary schools. ICT education was included in the Nigerian primary school curriculum in 1999 by the National Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), but the gaps in implementation are still evident. While most children in rural areas do not have access to a computer, three out of every five children in the urban areas lack basic ICT skills. To reverse this negative trend, the foundation has established 15 ICT/Creative Centres in its adopted schools, serving the learning needs of over 16,000 pupils. An expansion plan is in place to scale up across 47 additional schools by 2018.
According to Adekanla Adegoke, Head, Oando Foundation, “ICT is an essential skill for the Nigerian youth. Pupils need to be able to use the latest technology to gain an effective education and stand alongside their peers globally in the twenty-first century. Oando Foundation promotes ICT literacy through a wide variety of formal and informal activities designed to enable learners acquire functional computer literacy. Together with Sumitomo Chemical and other wellmeaning organizations like the Educate-A-Child Qatar, we are creating an enabling environment to provide pupils from marginalised backgrounds invaluable 21st century technology skills.”
Speaking in the same vein, General Manager of CSR Department, Sumitomo Chemical, Kanako Fukuda said: “Sumitomo Chemical’s Education Support Programme for Africa started with the development of Olyset Net, a long lasting insecticidal net that helps prevent the spread of malaria. We believe that improving Africa’s educational system is also crucial to assisting the continent to overcome poverty and achieve self-sustaining economic development. Through the partnership with Oando Foundation, we are excited to support the ICT programs in the public schools of Nigeria as we recognise ICT skills are essential to Sustainable Development.”