Kwara State Government on Thursday organized an education conference, with the stakeholders advocating for the review of STEAM, an education policy designed to expose the students to 21st century opportunities in the education sector.
STEAM is an acronym of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education.
The conference was organized by the office of the Special Adviser on Education to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Dr Adetola Salau, with the theme: ” Future-Ready Education: Advancing STEAM and Skills Development for Nigerian Youth”.
It was largely attended by government officials and educationists including the Kwara First Lady Ambassador Olufolake AbdulRazaq; Deputy Chairman House Committee on Education and Human Capital Development Ogbeni Seun Ogunniyi; Kwara State Commissioner for Education Sa’adatu Moddibo Kawu; Special Adviser to the Governor Dr Adetola Salau; Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Education Mrs Ronke Soyombo; Chairman State Education Trust Fund Col. Ademola Lawal; Vice Chancellor University of Ilorin Prof Wahab Egbewole; and MD KwaraLEARN Laide Abel; among others.
Amb AbdulRazaq, who keynoted the session, said the programme represents another milestone in the history of the education sector in the state.
Kwara First Lady, who was represented at the event by the Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development, Dr Afeez Abolore, emphasized the need for children to have access to quality and all inclusive education in an environment that supports their future needs.
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She said the theme of the conference is very apt and timely, as it was designed to bridge the gap in 24th century education.
She added that the administration has made a significant impact in inclusive education especially as it affects children living with disabilities and other segments of the society.
She mentioned Universal Design for Learning, Teachers Training and Development, Infrastructural Development, Physical Accessibility, among others, as some of the laudable initiatives of the present administration in the state.
As a state, we have success stories to share particularly on the ongoing initiatives in the education sector especially in the areas of KwaraLEARN, Team up Kwara, and other laudable initiatives aimed at enhancing learning and advancing basic education, AbdulRazaq said.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we gather in the spirit of collaboration and advancing the education sector, we have a lot to do together because we have a long way to go as a nation when it comes to inclusive education. I therefore, enjoin all of you to be part of this transformative journey,” she added.
“As a government , we shall continue to champion policy that supports inclusivity with adequate funding and active monitoring. That is a promise from the state government.”
Moddibo, for her part, said the programme was part of the government’s commitment towards producing global students that can compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
Dr Salau, in her submission, said the Conference was to prepare the youth for global competitiveness and advance their problem solving skills.
“How do we achieve this? It is through the equipment of our teachers, so that they can help to advance the ability of the students to be able to have these skills,” she said.
“Across the world now, youth are competing using phones to carry out programming, robotics and AI. How do we do this in Kwara state? It is by us carrying out projects like this. One of the things we have also highlighted over and over is technical education. This is very important so that we can stop relying on foreign thoughts and solve our challenges by ourselves.”
Soyombo called for the review and revamp of education policy in order to meet the present global standards.
“There is a need for us to train and retrain people on how to see how we can fast track the implementation of the review. There is a need for us to see how we are making a learning environment suitable for the 21st century child. So, there is the need for us to give education the topmost priority”, she said.
