Microsoft collaborates with AbujaSchoolNet to train teachers

AbujaSchoolNet Nigeria in collaboration with Microsoft’s Africa School Technology Innovation Centre (STIC), recently organized a workshop to provide new skills for Partners in Learning (PIL) trainers and teachers at the Government Secondary School in Tudun Wada, Abuja.

The training which focused on the latest version of the ICT skills for educators, One Step Further and the Innovative Teacher courses was aimed at equipping educators with technology tools and content designed to enhance teaching and learning and also to provide the trainers with insight on how to deploy the courses and materials to teachers throughout their areas of jurisdiction.

Public Relations Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mrs. Victoria N’dee Uwadoka, said 25 participants drawn from Consultancy Support Services Nigeria, K-INET Ghana, the Federal Ministry of Education as well as government and private schools from Ghana and Nigeria attended the session.

She also expressed the hope that the workshop would strengthen the region’s entries into this year’s Innovative Teacher’s Forum competition, which global finals are to be held for the first time on the African continent.

The Deputy National Coordinator, SchoolNet Nigeria, Mrs. Ronke Bello, was quoted as saying that by working closely with Microsoft on programmes such as Partners in Learning, it would enable educators across Nigeria and Ghana to become more innovative thinkers and innovative doers in their classrooms and be equipped to match their peers across the world.

“Feedback from the participants showed that they felt ‘confident’ in running the PIL courses in their schools and states after the training,” she said.

One of the participants from Ghana, Issah I. Shaibu of the WA Secondary High School said, “The workshop was quite innovative, opening trainers up to lots of challenges, ideas and resources. It enriched me to go back and carry out training of teachers in Ghana.”

Also speaking on the training, Citizenship Lead for Microsoft Anglophone, West Africa, Dr. (Mrs) Jummai Umar-Ajijola, said as an industry leader Microsoft has a responsibility to help make technology more accessible and affordable to students and teachers.

“We developed the Partners in Learning initiative to provide a sustainable investment in technology and training to help students focus on learning and teachers focus on teaching,” she said.

According to her, since the launch in 2003, PIL has touched the lives of more than 135 million students, teachers and education policymakers in 110 countries.
She said through this programme, Microsoft strives to create educational experiences that remove limitations and bring students and teachers closer.

The workshop also saw the launch of the Africa version of the PIL network http://africa.partnersinlearningnetwork.com. This social network is designed to connect teachers throughout the continent and provide them with tools to communicate and share resources.

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