There is need for secondary school students to leverage technology to achieve success in the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, a seasoned management, marketing, and education-sector professional, Mr. Gbenga Ogunleye, has advised.
Ogunleye who is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Toga Royal Nigeria Limited, made the call on Wednesday at the seminar organised by LABASCO Old Students Association for students of the Lagos Baptist Senior Secondary School, Orile Agege, Lagos.
The event which had the president of 1984 set of LABASCO Old Students Association, Mr. Benjamin Akindele Ojo, as coordinator was the second in a series and designed to prepare Senior Secondary School 3 students for WASSCE.
Ogunleye who was the Guest Speaker spoke on the topic, “Using Technology the Right Way to Pass WASSCE.”
He stressed that success in the final year examination would belong to students who combined hard work with intelligent use of technology.
He said although almost all the students in secondary schools had access to smart phones, they had not been using technology wisely as they concentrated more on social media contents not helpful to their success in examinations.
He said rather than access past questions and other education materials, they deployed the smart phones to other things, thus causing distraction.
Urging them to use it to practise past questions daily, understand difficult concepts and identify learning weaknesses early, he warned that technology amplified discipline, but did not replace it.
His words: “Today, examination success is no longer determined only by classroom teaching or hours spent reading. Around the world, outcomes are increasingly shaped by access to digital learning tools, intelligent revision systems, and technology-supported teaching methods.
“The central question is no longer whether students should use technology. The real question is: are we using technology strategically enough to improve learning outcomes?”
The guest speaker called on the students to combine hard work with intelligent use of technology as represented by their smart phones to achieve success in their examinations.
Ogunleye also spoke on the need for governments, parents and communities to provide the necessary support for the success of the students.
“If government provides infrastructure, educators provide mentorship, parents provide discipline, and communities provide support, then examination excellence will become predictable — not accidental.
“Let us commit today to building not just smart classrooms, but smart learners prepared for examinations, innovation, and leadership,” he declared.
The event which was well attended by parents, staff and old students was chaired by the Chairman, Orile Agege Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Mr. Akinola Abiodun Idowu.
The LCDA boss, at the occasion, announced plans by his administration to build a Computer Based Test Centre in Lagos Baptist Senior Secondary School, Orile Agege, Lagos, within the next one year.
According to him, the facility will be of 250 systems minimum capacity and will be supplied with internet.
The organisers enjoyed the support of the Principal of the school, Mrs. Modupe Shofela, teachers and non-teaching staff of the school.
The seminar with the theme, “Empowering Minds for a Transformed Future: The Legacy of Learning and Leadership,” featured presentation of papers by different resource persons who are old students of the school.
The first speaker, Muhammad Quieyaz Adebayo, spoke on the topic, “Beyond WAEC: Character That Secures Your Future”; the second resource person, Mr. Yinka Sonuga spoke on “Integrity in Examination: Choosing the Right Path”; the third resource person, Mrs. Funsho Fakorede, spoke on “The Influence of Parents and Guardians on WAEC Success” while the fourth resource person, Mr. Ademola Abiodun, spoke on “Peer Review, Not Peer Distraction: The Smart Path to WAEC Success”.
The Master of Ceremony was an old student and renowned medical practitioner, Dr Aina Olufemi Odusola, while renowned journalist, Publisher of FrontPage, a leading online newspaper, Mr. Sakibu Olokojobi, gave the vote of thanks at the occasion.
