US Consulate supports STEM workshops for 500 students in Lagos

No fewer than 500 secondary school students and 50 teachers from underserved communities of Agege, Alimosho and Ifako-Ijaiye in Lagos Education District 1 participated in a series of STEM workshops sponsored by the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.

During the workshops, which lasted for about three weeks, participants who are mainly from public junior and senior high schools were in batches taken through six field areas which are cell phone repairs, artificial intelligence, solar panel assembly, weather balloon technology, coding of video games and the use of drones.

The teachers among them were presented with a toolbox each to enable them to use an integrated approach learnt to teach STEAM subjects when back in school.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme held at Government Senior College in Agege, U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Mr Stephen Ibelli explained that the initiative was designed to stimulate the interest of students in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) subjects to enable them to develop careers in those areas.

He said the workshop likely to be extended to students and teachers in other education districts is part of the U.S. Mission’s ongoing efforts to promote STEAM education in Nigeria in order to drive innovation and create conditions for a more prosperous country.

According to him, the world is fast becoming increasingly technology-driven and it’s important that youth are equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills to become great innovators, educators, researchers, and leaders capable of solving pressing challenges facing human existence globally.

In his remarks, co-founder of Global Air Drone Academy, which handled the training, Mr Eno Umoh, also pointed out how important it is to equip students with skills to be problem-solvers in the 21st-century global economy.

He explained that acquiring STEAM enabling competencies like critical and computational thinking, collaboration and creativity is a way to go, noting that all that requires is to arouse students’ interest in that regard.

In his own contribution, Project Manager, STEAM Up Lagos, Mr Kemark Onyenancheya, said the Lagos State government is passionate about STEAM education for all public school students, hence partnering with the US Consulate for the workshop.

One of the teachers, Miss Morenike Oyedeji from Isheri-Oshun Community Junior High School, told Nigerian Tribune on the sideline at the vent, that the workshop had really exposed particularly the students to practical knowledge in the training fields.

She said this was unlike in schools where they deal mostly with theoretical work.

Also one of the SS3 students, Master Favour Ugwuazor, 17, from Egan Senior Grammar School, Igando and President of the Science Jet Club of the school, said even though he is aspiring to be a medical doctor, he is already taken interest in solar panel building and cell phone repairs.

He said he quite believes that he would put the knowledge gained at the workshop to use in his studies and further training in those fields when back in school.

He thanked the US Consulate, the drone academy and the state ministry of education for exposing them to such field areas.

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