Lagos pupils get 450,000 MP3 e-learning devices

Pupils attending the 1,016 public primary schools in Lagos State have begun getting MP3 devices to boost learning at home under the Eko Excel project.

With the pupils attending schools only on alternate days in keeping with COVID-19 safety protocols, the Eko Excel team pre-loaded school work in audio format on memory cards in the devices which they can listen to when at home. The pupils are expected to complete exercises from the audio classes in the workbooks also provided with the devices.

Speaking at a demonstration session on the use of the devices for parents at St. Agnes Primary School, Maryland last Thursday, the Lagos State chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Adedoyin Adesina urged parents to pay attention to their wards’ education and help to safeguard the devices.

“Where you have your children you must have a stake. The MP3 distributed is to complement school work. Where a child uses it well, it will be of great assistance. That is where parents can ensure safekeeping,” he said.

Adesina praised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for increasing budgetary provision for education like non before him.

“Since we have been having budgetary allocations to education since I started teaching in Lagos, I noticed that Sanwo-Olu has surpassed all,” he said.

The Education Secretary, Kosofe Local Government Education Authority (LGEA), Mr Tunde Soleye also thanked the governor for prioritising the use of technology in educational service delivery.

“He is not only talking about education but education and technology. He understands that in this 21st century our children must compete and if the primary level is good, all other levels would be good,” he said.

Director of Schools, Eko EXCEL, Mrs Sonia Ivie demonstrated the use of the devices to parents. She said they were colour-coded according to the classes – red for pre-school, yellow for lower primary and green, upper primary.

She said the devices only needed to be charged for two hours and highlighted the function of the four buttons on the device which basically serve to scroll from one lesson to the other.