By No fewer than 27 secondary school students who had completed training in physical computing as part of their Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum graduated from the Senator Abiru Innovation Lab (SAIL) on Friday.
Also graduating were 57 secondary school teachers in the Lagos East Senatorial District who had successfully completed training in modern inquiry based teaching techniques under the Teachers Fellowship.
SAIL is an initiative of the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Tokunbo Abiru. The dedicated innovation & tech lab was conceived by the Tokunbo Abiru Constituency Team (TACT) in partnership with Co-creation Hub (Cc-Hub), a renowned technology and Social Enterprise company.
Speaking at the graduation event held in Lagos, Abiru, who was elated by the impact the SAIL programmes had on participants, said he was executing the mandate entrusted to him under three pillars which covers legislative role, empowerment/facilitation and endowment — where the SAIL project lies.
“Today, secondary school students who are between the ages of 13 and 18 who are graduating have learnt about physical computing using Arduino and coding to develop various solutions to human problems. This is how Asian tigers pulled up and became one of the most technologically developed nations in the world,” he said.
“In the last 4 months, these kids have been kept busy and creative. The learning process has been most engaging and highly practical. They will be showcasing five (5) unique projects today which they have developed by themselves for the benefits of mankind”.
The lawmaker, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Industries, noted that there is an urgent need to develop the interest of teenagers in production of tech-enabled devices, tools and gadgets that can aid the swift development of industries in Nigeria.
For the Lagos East Teachers Fellowship, about 50 teachers made it to the physical class, while 350 attended the virtual class. The teachers were selected from both public and private schools in Lagos East, covering Lagos Education District 2 & 3.
Abiru said that the skill sets of the teachers have been greatly upscaled with the Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) which is currently being adopted globally for training students creatively, especially with the use of technology to make their teachings more effective and efficient.
Applauding the Senator for the project, the Commissioner for Education in Lagos, Folasade Adefisayo said technology should be included in the school curriculum, adding that the SAIL Teachers Fellowship will have a great impact on many generations.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Innovation and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake equally commended Abiru for placing a premium on the human capital development, noting that the value of a trained mind can never be estimated.
He urged other elected public office holders to take a cue from the Senator and champion programmes that will have lasting impacts on the lives of the people.
