The Lagos State Government on Friday unveiled the Innovate Eko STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Programme, aimed at inspiring interest in STEAM careers.
The government unveiled the project while commemorating the National Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) day, celebrated every November 8.
Speaking during the programme, held at the STEM Lab, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Mr Tunbosun Alake, the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, described STEAM as the pillar for economic value creation.
Alake encouraged students to show interest in innovation, science and technology, as such enabled one to build applications to solve problems.
“You are never too young to start learning science and technology, because these will eventually enable you to contribute value to the society.
“The passion for science will never go unrewarded. With a focus on science, technology and innovation, the sky is not even the limit, you are going above the sky, going to space,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, said that the programme was about the students’ progress, performance, and science oriented subjects.
Alli-Balogun said that STEAM was about the present and the future, and the realisation that people could not do away with science.
“We need more teachers to teach sciences in our schools. We have mandated the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) to recruit more teachers so, that we can have additional science teachers in our public schools.
“Not only that, we are training the existing teachers from our own training facilities, from collaborative efforts of NGOs and interested stakeholders, and they have been coming around doing that.
“We have been shortlisting about 10,000 teachers to be trained by Canadian institution through our effort, and out of this 10,000 teachers, I want to believe almost 60 per cent will go to sciences, because that is what we need most right now,” he said.
Mr Opeyemi Eniola, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Basic and Secondary Education, said that the Innovate Eko STEAM Project would focus on training of students in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics Technology, solar energy and visual processing.
Eniola said that 100 students would be trained from each of the different education districts in the state.
He said that the project also aimed to inspire the next generation of innovators and encourage interest in STEM careers.
“The Innovate Eko STEAM Programme is a programme established to train students, to empower them to be self employed, to empower them to be prepared for the future, to empower them to face the present and the future challenges.
“This Innovate Eko STEAM project plans to train students, not just in robotics, but in artificial intelligence, graphics, design, ads, phone repair, solar panel, solar energy, both the management, installation, repair and care.
“So the main essence of Innovate Eko STEAM project, is to ensure that we move from just being a consumption country to a more productive country, and we are starting with Lagos State,” the SSA said.
