NGOs, Siemens, and NCDMB training Bayelsa educators

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

The second phase of the “Experimento STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Training in Nigeria for Primary and Elementary School Teachers in Bayelsa State” has been completed by the Empowering Africans Through Education Initiative (EAE), Siemens Stiftung, and Siemens Energy.

The program offered teachers—especially in-service classroom instructors in elementary and secondary schools—practical, cutting-edge instruction in science and technology to improve students’ comprehension.

The two-week workshop’s main topics were energy, the environment, and health as they pertain to the development of young people in Nigeria and other African countries.

Speaking at the opening ceremony in Yenagoa, co-founder and executive director of EAE Chinenye Ezeakor noted that promoting STEM was an essential component of global education strategies.

She continued that in order to accomplish this goal, her organization teamed with Siemens Energy on the training this year.

Through the supply of materials and instruments, we are consistently able to further the understanding of young Africans in STEM thanks to the Siemens Stiftung’s ongoing relationship. This training in Bayelsa is the first step in realizing our vision in Nigeria, which is to reach 1,000 more schools this year, she continued.

Oladayo Orolu, head of business development at Siemens Energy Limited, stated in his remarks that the program offers a chance to build a strong basis for worker professional development, economic productivity, and long-term value generation.

Siemens Energy is dedicated to promoting STEM education in Nigeria in order to help the country’s human capital development, he stated.

One of these investments is the Experimento program, which aims to assist the nation in developing the necessary domestic capacity to foster technical innovation and creativity. We are thrilled that the Phase 2 program is being implemented in Bayelsa State and are sure that the results will have a positive impact on the students’ future growth.

“In Nigerian states in 2021, 100 instructors received Experimento program training. A further 100 in-service science and technology teachers would be trained in this second phase, and they would be given the materials and assistance to use more relatable and useful teaching techniques.

The initiative, according to the program coordinator, Angel Benson, is intended to provide young people with educational materials (lab-in-a-box) that will enable them to think critically and creatively about how to solve scientific problems. It also aims to create a supportive learning environment that will make STEM education more engaging and accessible.

She claims that the box contains over 120 different experiments to pique children’s curiosity and inspire their creativity.

Efere Timothy, a lecturer at Bayelsa Medical University and one of the facilitators, praised the program in his own speech and noted that it would inspire children to develop creative STEM abilities.

Okwokwo Osuze, a teacher at St. John Elementary School in Ogu, Yenagoa Council, and one of the recipients, praised the sponsors and called the initiative the first of its type to promote STEM education at the primary school level.