The Commissioner of Education, Bayelsa State in Southern Nigeria, Dr. Gentle Emelah says the Ministry of Education has trained teachers on Artificial Intelligence, AI, to enhance teaching and learning.
Dr. Gentle Emelah made the statement during an interview with Voice of Nigeria, in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State, Capital.
He explained that the training is part of the ministry’s efforts to make teaching easier and more effective while passing knowledge down to students to boost learning.
Dr Emelah also highlighted other areas of technology training, including technical and vocational skills, aimed at expanding the technological competence of teachers and students in the state
Free tuition
Highlighting achievements in the state’s education sector, Dr. Emelah said the ministry has introduced free tuition and boarding facilities in technical colleges across eight local government areas.
Admission into these schools is determined through a written examination, with the three best-performing students from each school earning places.
Dr. Emelah said that there are lots of problems in the society and those that have basic knowledge from these vocational skills would provide solutions to solve the problems.
“Years back people did not know the importance of these skills. When, once you see a child that usually attends technical college, that child was viewed as never- do-well and cannot attend regular schools.
“Presently, the trend has changed and those children who have gotten these skills are seriously needed in the society because most of these technical jobs are done by foreigners, who will take our money to go and develop their countries, but if our children learn the skills, the money will circulate within Bayelsa state,” he explained.
Payment of teachers
Dr. Emelah also said that some of the various achievements in the Ministry of Education, include payment of teachers backlog salaries, introduction of technology in primary and secondary schools.
He said: “Currently, four local government areas; Ogbia, Kolokuma/Opokuma, Sagbama, and Yenagoa, have integrated technology into teaching. He noted that teachers in these areas now use state-of-the-art tools to manage classroom activities, reduce absenteeism, and streamline student enrollment.
“The technology helps in enrollment of the children in the school. We started with 25,000 and presently, we have over 44.000 that have enrolled.”
He said Bayelsa State would soon launch its 15 years educational policy to bring lots of stakeholders from various states in Nigeria to brainstorm on education issues.
Dr Emelah expressed his delight at the ratings, in which Bayelsa State emerged among the top 10 best states in the education sector in Nigeria.
Dr. Emelah also expressed his gratitude to the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, and the Bayelsa people for the opportunity given to him to serve his people in the state.
He added that several innovations introduced during his tenure would leave a lasting legacy, including the ability to monitor the activities of teachers and students across schools directly from his office.
Lateefah Ibrahim