The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), through its Digital Resource Centre (DRC), has trained thirty teachers and other personnel for the smooth take-off of the Smart Model School in Sogunro, Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The idea of Smart Schools was conceived to train selected teachers across the country, to improve teaching and learning in public schools, using multimedia equipment.
The media team of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OyoSUBEB) disclosed this in a statement released on Wednesday.
In the statement, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abdulwaheed Adelabu, who led a monitoring team to the Smart School, noted that the training was designed to equip the personnel with requisite skills for the commencement of operations during the third term of the 2023/2024 academic session in the state.
Adelabu revealed that the training was focused on blended learning techniques and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skill sets, with resource persons from universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education serving as trainers, charging the trainees to pay attention to the training, as they would also train other teachers in the use of the skills acquired.
In another development, the statement says the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OyoSUBEB) had begun the quarter-final stage of the maiden edition of the Governor Seyi Makinde Basic Education School Sports Competition in the eight educational zones of the state.
According to the statement, the Executive Secretary, OyoSUBEB, Mr Jacob Dairo, disclosed in Ibadan, that the Board, with the support of UBEC, kick-started the competition among schools in June 2023.
The competition, which featured athletics, soccer, handball and table tennis, was played in group stages, across the educational zones, namely Ibarapa, Iseyin, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Saki, Irepo, Ibadan main and Ibadan less city zones.
Dairo said the third-place, semi-final, and finals of the competition would be played in Ibadan after the ongoing elimination stage, noting that the finals, where the winner would represent the state in the national competition, would be held at the refurbished Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, on September 29th, 2023.
He noted that the basic school pupils participating were in high spirits and had exhibited brilliant performances, disclosing that all the public basic schools in the state enrolled and were taking part in the four selected games.
The statement reads in part: “We gladly inform our parents and dear stakeholders that our basic school sports has been scheduled to commence on September 19, 2023. With the huge support we have received from the Federal Government and Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration, we believe it will be a successful event.
“We started with an elimination stage across the educational zones, namely Oyo, Ibarapa Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Saki, Irepo, Ibadan less city and Ibadan main city. Afterward, we will play the final of the competition on September 29, where a winner, who will represent Oyo State in the Nationals, will emerge.”
Dairo thanked Governor Seyi Makinde for approving the reintroduction of school sports in the state after over a decade and the tremendous support he had given the basic education sub-sector.
He also thanked UBEC and the Schools Service Department for putting up a satisfactory and impressive preparation so far.
Dominica Nwabufo
