By Dare Akogun
The Kwara State Government has launched a free summer digital coding class for students in public secondary schools across the state.
This initiative aims to equip students with essential digital skills, enabling them to compete on a global level.
Speaking to reporters in Ilorin, the state’s capital, Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Innovation, Hon. Kayode Ishola, revealed that the six-week programme will be conducted across six centres in the three senatorial districts of Kwara.
The programme targets students aged between eleven and fifteen.
The event was organized by the Office of the Special Assistant to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Digital Innovation.
During the flag-off ceremony held at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School in Ilorin, Ishola highlighted the government’s commitment to fostering mass digital literacy among the youth, ensuring they are not left behind in the digital age.
“The government understands that for the students to have a competitive edge globally, they need to have digital skills, especially now that external exams like JAMB, WAEC, and NECO are computer-based,” Ishola stated.
He explained that the first two weeks of the programme will focus on introducing digital literacy, particularly for students with limited hands-on computer experience. The remaining period will be dedicated to coding and other digital skills.
Other training centres include Government Secondary School Afon (Kwara Central); Ansarul Islam Junior Secondary School (Gure, Baruten), and Etsu Maman Saba Junior Secondary School Batapan (North); as well as Government Secondary School Omuaran and Offa Grammar School, Offa (South).
The administration has heavily invested in the KwaraLEARN programme, a technology-driven initiative designed to build ICT capacity among students in basic classes.
“We received over 1,000 applications from students of public schools, both online and at designated centres, but only 500 were selected based on the eligibility criteria for participation,” Ishola disclosed. “The successful applicants fall between the ages of 11 and 15.”
Ishola thanked Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his relentless efforts in transforming the educational sector through various innovative approaches.
The flag-off ceremony was attended by notable figures, including the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Policy Formulation, and Human Capital Development, Dr. Adetola Salahu; Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Kolo Majin Isaiah; and the Principal of Queen Elizabeth School, Senior Session, Hajia Gobir Bola Habibat.
Dr. Adetola Salahu emphasized that the training would enhance critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills among public school students, enabling them to compete with their global peers.
“We are equipping them so that they will be able to compete with their global counterparts and for them to be able to help us solve some of the challenges we are facing in the country,” Salahu remarked. “We talk about waste management, we talk about generation of power and food supply, we have started teaching them how to use technology to solve these problems.”
Queen Elizabeth School Principal, Hajia Habibat, lauded the government for the initiative, noting that it would productively engage students during the holiday season.
Some of the participants, including Yusuf Ibrahim and Muhammad Ayisat, expressed their gratitude to the state government for providing them with the opportunity to acquire digital skills. They pledged to utilize the knowledge gained to contribute to national development.
