AGILE plans 2,500 computers for 100 secondary schools in Sokoto
From Bashir Rabe Mani in Sokoto
Determined to boost digital literacy among students and teachers across Sokoto State, the Adolescents Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) plans to purchase no fewer than 2,500 computers for distribution to 100 secondary schools in the state.
Our Correspondent in Sokoto reports that this was disclosed on Monday by the state AGILE Project Coordinator, Dr Mansur Isa Buhari, at the opening of a five-day Digital Literacy Skills Step-down Training for 300 Secondary School Teachers drawn from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
AGILE is a World Bank-supported programme run by the Federal Ministry of Education in partnership with state governments.
The project targets girls aged 10 to 20 and aims to remove barriers that keep them out of secondary school.
The programme focuses on building and renovating schools to make them safer and more girl-friendly, providing scholarships and learning materials, and delivering life skills and digital literacy training.
It also works with teachers and school managers to improve teaching quality and retention.
AGILE is currently active in several states across Northern and central Nigeria, including Sokoto.
Its goal is to increase enrolment, retention, and completion of secondary education for adolescent girls, while addressing issues like costs, early marriage, and poor school infrastructure.
Dr Mansur said in addition to the computers, AGILE will provide a one-year free Internet connectivity for all the benefitting schools.
According to the coordinator, apart from making Sokoto state at par with the world in terms of digital access, the gesture will expose students and teachers to the vast digital landscape, the ethical use of social media, Artificial Intelligence and other valuable contents.
Dr Mansur said appropriate training modules had been developed while the requisite resource persons had been engaged.
He explained, “This is with the view to bridging the existing gaps in technology and catch the students young right from Senior Secondary School class one.
“As part of the trainings which will be cascaded, the participants will be trained on how to sustain the initiative as well as augment government’s funding for it.”
According to him, AGILE is wholly under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, and commended Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto for being digitally- friendly.
Declaring open the training, the state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmad Ladan Ala, commended Gov. Ahmed Aliyu for according top-most priority to the education sector.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Sanusi Aliyu Binji, the Commissioner also applauded Sen. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, a former Governor of the state, for establishing the Total ICT Centre at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto.
He also thanked AGULE for performing excellently in the discharge of its activities, including the provision of schools’ infrastructure and water, among other critical areas of dire need in the sector.
The Commissioner explained that digital skills are necessary in the modern world, saying that the training will make teaching and learning easier, faster, and impact.
In a goodwill message, the Executive Chairman of the state Teachers Service Board, Prof. Mustapha Mamman Na-Makkah, said that the state government salvaging the education sector in various ways.
Also, the Chairman of the State Wing of the Nigerian Union Teachers, Alhaji Murtala Mohammed Sokoto, underscored the need for more training in digital skills for teachers and students in the state.
