Education

LASG partners GetBundi on STEM education, inaugurates pilot centre in Yaba

Published

3 months ago

March 10, 2023

The Lagos State Government and GetBundi Education Technology Company have inaugurated a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) laboratory at Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School,
Yaba, Lagos.

The STEM laboratory is the pilot phase of an ongoing partnership between the Lagos State Government and GetBundi that would see the deployment of GetBundi’s education technology platform across schools in the state.

Speaking at the ceremony on Thursday, Dr Adetola Salau, Special Assistant on Education to the Governor of
Lagos State, emphasised the importance of STEM education, saying it would prepare students for emerging challenges.

“STEM will prepare students to constitute an effective workforce; it will equip them with the skills needed to excel in a rapidly-changing, technology-driven society,” she said.

She explained that what the Getbundi was offering was in tandem with the Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM UP) Lagos project which she oversees.

According to her, the goal is to infuse the ideals of a globally unified STEAM curriculum, making learning fun,
accessible, sustainable, relatable to learners, while inculcating critical thinking ability, problem identification and solving
skills.

It also encourages collaboration and creativity in designing solutions to
identified challenges in society, she added.

She said that by virtue of the partnership, GetBundi would help to “provide students with real-world experience and help them to develop the skills that are in demand in the job market.

According to her, that goal will be better achieved with the donation of a
STEAM laboratory equipped with the latest equipment and software.

“They (Getbundi) supported our district here – Educational District IV,
specifically Wesley Girls Secondary School – through this generous
support which aligns with our goals that ultimately focus on the provision of quality education for all of the state’s children.

“This encourages educational innovation that aims to improve learning outcomes.

“We are also glad that this laboratory will be at a girls’ secondary school
because we are focused on inspiring girls to pursue STEM courses and careers – by providing access to STEM resources directly at their school.

“That is expected to lead to the setting up of clubs and activities that would support students to learn more about STEM and its relevance to their lives,” she said.

Mr Osita Oparaugo, founder/Chief Executive Officer of GetBundi, in a remark, explained that the STEM
laboratory that had been set up at Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School was a pilot programme to enable the Lagos State government to assess the platform and get feedback from students and teachers.

“The ultimate aim is to ensure that government and GetBundi could then formulate the right framework to deploy the technology across Lagos government schools,” he explained.

He said that GetBundi, a government-approved online educational technology
platform, was focused on using technology to make high-quality and
engaging STEM subjects for secondary school and digital skills courses
accessible to all across Africa.

“Less than 18 percent of Africans, Nigerians inclusive, who enter the
universities, pursue science-related fields due to lack of appreciation
of STEM caused by inability of African countries to invest in science
education mostly at the secondary school level.

“For instance, by 2030, there will be nearly 250 million job gaps in the digital space as our world is constantly changing through technology.

“African youths must be equipped with the right skill if they want to be productive and competitive,” he said.

He said the existing gaps were the reason for setting up GetBundi with the goal of “massifying STEM and Digital Skill courses across Africa”.

According to him, GetBundi has a target to upskill 10 million African workforce by 2030 under the GetBundi Vision 2033.

He disclosed that GetBundi currently offers online vocational training
on 16 digital skills courses six of which had courses in pidgin English developed by industry experts in Africa and around the world.

Education

Ambrose Ali varsity clears air, says it is up-to-date on salaries

Published

3 months ago

March 10, 2023

Fellow Press

The Management of the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo, has said that it was up-to-date in the payment of salaries for all staff in the institution.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Ambrose Odiase, its Acting Registrar.

The university said that 2,260 regular staff and pensioners had received their February 2023 salary.

“Management considers it strange that with all the efforts it has made over the months in the payment of salaries, a group of politicians’ poster boys would still come out and describe the payment as “rumour”, “selective”, etc.

“The latest payment of February, 2023 salaries is a case in point.

“It is certainly beyond rumour that over 2,260 regular staff and pensioners have received their February 2023 salaries as at Thursday, including some of the academics making all the loud unintellectual noises in defense of falsehood.

“The records are there for everyone to see and management may be compelled to publish the list of those who have so far been paid,” he said.

The registrar noted that the management had been paying gross salaries since december 2021; hence, he said the claim that it owed 27-month checkoff to welfare union was untrue.

He noted, however, that only staff members who refused to be captured in the Edo government’s directed verification and biometric enrollment were not paid.

These set of staff, he said had been removed from the payroll and declared ghost workers and therefore had no claim to any salary.

“Again, all staff members of the University who were verified to have returned to work at the time the Edo State Government directed them to do so, have received their salaries to date.

“All staff (members), who failed to return to work on the directive of the government and were away on strike for eight months have not received salaries for those months they did not work.

“This is in line with the no-work-no-pay policy directed by government.

‘It is absurd that these self-serving agitators still add up these eight months as salaries due them, when they knew they did not work for them.

“And when they can see that even their counterparts in Federal Universities have been unable to convince the government at the centre to pay them for work not done.”

He stated that management remained committed to its set goal of repositioning Ambrose Alli University in line with the vision of the state government.

According to him, management will not be cowed or intimidated by the fusillade of sponsored attacks on it.