The Oyo State Government has formed a partnership with Google to train 30,000 secondary school students on digital media across the 33 Local Government Areas and the 35 Local Development Council Areas (LCDAs) of the state.
This information was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Toye Arulogun, on Wednesday, that the initiative was in line with the OYSG Digital Advocacy Drive.
He furthermore, reiterated the vision of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to make Information and Communication Technology (ICT) the bedrock of learning.
He stated that the pilot sessions of the programme commenced on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at St. Patrick Grammar School, Basorun, Immanuel College, UI and Loyola College, Ibadan.
He also added that another round of sessions would hold on Thursday March 2, 2017 at Ibadan Grammar School, Molete, Ibadan, Oba Abass Alesiloye Secondary School, Eleyele and Lagelu Grammar School, Agugu, Ibadan.
Arulogun further stated that subsequent training of secondary school students will continue across eight zones of the state which include: Ibadan City, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Irepo, Saki, Kajola and Ibarapa after assessment and evaluation of the pilot sessions.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to Governor Ajimobi on ICT, Mr Niyi Ajao, in his remarks at the pilot session explained that the governor considered ICT as a prerequisite skill for students in an increasingly competitive digital economy.
He also noted that the office of the Special Adviser (ICT) and the Ministry of Education have identified centers for the training of the 30,000 secondary school students.
In a related development, Mr Arulogun said that digital technology has a lot of potentials and that the future of the country is bright with the increasing trend of internet connectivity.
The commissioner, while speaking at the launch of a free wireless service by Flobyt Nigeria in Lagos recently, had urged the founders of the initiative not to relent in their efforts to democratise internet usage in the country.
( Channels Television)