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| Pupils use laptops in a Nigerian classroom. Advancedsolver / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. |
Forty master trainers will deliver instruction in artificial intelligence and digital teaching methods to 1,445 nominated teachers in Bayelsa State from 16 to 21 November under a programme organised by UNESCO and the state Ministry of Education.
UNESCO Programme Assistant Esther Ikenye announced the arrangements in Yenagoa on Tuesday, 10 November, during the second phase of training for the master trainers.
She said the nominated teachers would attend sessions at designated centres in Yenagoa, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama local government areas. The master trainers would pass on the knowledge and practical skills acquired during their own sessions, according to the News Agency of Nigeria’s report.
Ikenye said the programme would help teachers incorporate digital tools and artificial intelligence into their work, covering lesson preparation, activities that engage pupils, assessment and classroom management.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and its state partners intend to strengthen teachers’ professional skills and support teaching methods that accommodate different learners, she explained.
The programme combines classroom sessions with further study online, allowing participants to continue working through the materials after the scheduled physical training ends.
“Participants will also continue learning online through self-paced modules after the physical training,” she said.
Ikenye encouraged educators in Bayelsa and elsewhere in Nigeria to register on the programme’s online learning portal. She said they could study the modules free of charge and receive certificates upon successful completion.
Bayelsa Commissioner for Education Gentle Emelah said the training would improve teachers’ understanding of artificial intelligence and its application to teaching.
Monday Ake, the ministry’s Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, represented the commissioner. Emelah urged teachers to prepare pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete academically with their peers.
Adam Sadiq, of the Universal Basic Education Commission’s Innovation and Instructional Technology Department in Abuja, said teachers needed to develop their skills as children increasingly encountered technology while growing up.
He described artificial intelligence and digital pedagogy as developing fields that required educators’ attention.
“Teachers need digital pedagogy and AI competencies to understand and respond to the learning needs of children in an increasingly technology-driven environment,” he said.
Organisers identified the programme’s theme as “Education and Youth Empowerment in Nigeria: Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems to Build Teachers’ Capacity and Resilience.”
UNESCO has also reported wider teacher development work through its European Union-funded Education and Youth Empowerment Initiative. In an update published on 30 October, the organisation said 30,290 teachers had received training through its Digital Pedagogy and AI e-learning platform.