By Abiodun Lawal
The Ogun Government on Friday inaugurated a 280-seater capacity Information Communication Technology (ICT) laboratory project at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta.
Speaking after the inauguration, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, Commissioner for Education, commended the institution for moving in tandem with the vision of Gov. Dapo Abiodun.
Arigbabu noted that technology remained important and paramount to development of the education sector.
“I am really impressed with the facility because the management of the polytechnic seems to be moving in tandem with the vision of the governor.
“Looking at what is happening now all over the world with the pandemic, all of us have seen that teaching and learning cannot be achieved on the face to face level alone.
“These days you have to blend the face to face with virtual teaching and there should be more of virtual teaching and to achieve this, technology is needed.
“What MAPOLY has done with the provision of ICT facility will aid teaching and learning. It will also help students with Computer-Based Test (CBT) examination.
“It will also help for UTME and Post-UTME examinations; and all the general courses that require CBT. That is, large classes can be done with this type of facility,” he said.
The commissioner said that the governor had also mandated the Ministry of Education to ensure that it introduced technology at primary and secondary schools.
“We are going to have resource centres across the state with 36 flagship schools. Secondary and primary will be the pilot where we start from,’’ he said.
Arigbabu noted that the present administration would continue to accord education sector necessary support, saying that it remained the bedrock of any developed nation.
Earlier, Acting Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr Adeoye Odedeji, said the new ICT laboratory would enhance learning process and that E-learning had come to stay in modern education.
Odedeji reiterated that the project would help the students of the institution and be an advantage to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and other academic purposes.
He applauded the giant strides of the government toward ensuring that education took its priority and promised that the institution would continue to produce worthy ambassadors for the state. (NAN)