THE Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), in conjunction with HP Innovation & Digital Education Academies Middle East & Africa (HP IDEA - MEA) and MIRAI Partners, has commenced the training of 42 Primary and Secondary School Teachers drawn from the six Education Districts.
The Teachers’ Development and Assessment Programme themed: “Transforming Digital Pedagogy," holds at the Education Resource Centre (ERC), Ojodu.
The Director-General of OEQA, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, in her welcome address said HP IDEA-MEA identifies, supports and provides the opportunity to acquire education, mentoring and tutoring to transform and reposition education for the 21st Century students and teachers, as well as reward excellence in the field of learning.
She said the participants, at the end of the programme, would have acquired the necessary technological skills to become creative problem solvers in various capabilities, adding that it would also help them to bridge the gap between yesterday and the 21st-century values by supporting students and teaching them the right values for a better future.
The Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), Mr. Wahab Alawiye-King in his goodwill message to the participants noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had created both social and economic imbalance, which teachers must work assiduously to overcome.
He urged teachers to leverage on technology in improving teaching and learning, as it is now the new normal, observing that human capital development index is now used to measure a nation’s wealth which, hitherto, was only determined by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Alawiye-King also advised the participants to see the training programme as an opportunity to hone their skills (pedagogy) and move with global best practices, urging them to always let their entrepreneurial and financial intelligence come to play at all times.
The co-founder and programme instructor for Mirai Partners, teacher and leader in development innovation, Mrs Christine Nasserghodsi, during her virtual lecture, described teachers as the treasure of a nation, noting that the one-year programme is aimed at shaping the new way of teaching and learning through various courses such as planning and teaching standards, teachers leadership models and new roles for educators that reflect the increasingly digital world.
Nasserghodsi disclosed that the HP IDEA platform in schools will leverage existing digital tools to develop effective and scalable practices with a focus on teaching and learning in a blended context for the Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDGs), ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
According to her: “The 42 pioneer teachers of the programme, upon completion, will receive Certificates and become HP IDEA Fellows, while those they will later train will become HP IDEA Associates."
She added that all participants will, individually and collectively, work to support teachers and student-innovation and entrepreneurship, embedding and scaling effective teaching skills across participating schools to develop effective teacher-leaders.
HP Innovation & Digital Education Academies Middle East & Africa (HP IDEA - MEA) is a platform that supports schools’ commitment to transforming their digital pedagogies to flourish in the 21st Century and keep themselves active and inventive during challenging times.