STEMi Africa Partners U.S Consulate to Empower 100 Educators

In a bid to integrate African education with innovation, the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Innovation Makers of Africa (STEMi Makers Africa) has partnered the United States of America Consulate General to train and empower STEM educators.

The training, which was held at the IBM Innovation Centre, Churchgate Towers, Lagos, was aimed at turning educators to become innovators, and technology proficient problem solvers.

At the training, less than 100 educators in Lagos State were trained on how to make use of modern integrated tools and bring Innovation to classrooms.

The educators, who were selected from 32 schools in Ojo, Amuwo-Odofin and Ifelodun Ajeromi Local Council Development Areas in Lagos had rigorous, diverse, hands-on workshop training by STEMi partners.

Speaking at the event, Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Lagos, Russell Brooks, said, “One of the objectives of this project is to “Train-the-Trainer” and build educators who will serve as STEM Ambassadors for promoting STEM Education in their respective schools by training their fellow colleagues and expanding the learning community for effective sharing of knowledge.”

“The world is moving at a very fast pace and may not wait for Nigeria to catch up with it,” he added.

He further encouraged them to embrace applied Innovation in teaching to stimulate better learning in their Students.

Amanda Obidike, the Strategy Lead for STEMi Makers Africa emphasised that STEM Integration and Development Training for Educators was to enable educators to be problem solvers and critical thinkers who are able to analyse information to know what skills they need.

“We are betting that by allowing scholars/educators to be risk-takers, to redefine failure, to collaborate, and deeply think will actually better prepare them for the pedagogic tasks,” she noted.