The Federal Ministry of Education has welcomed digital classrooms as well as an information and communication (ICT) laboratory in the Federal Government Girls College Abuloma, which is located in Abuloma, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, while speaking at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the college.
Alausa stated that it was a great privilege for the college to be showered with smart classrooms and other sensitive projects, which were executed by the FGGC Old Girls Association.
The minister, who was represented by the principal of Federal Government College, Port Harcourt, Inyang Ukpe, mentioned the projects that set the college high as the 21st century leap which is the four STEAM-enabled smart classrooms.
He said the N50 million investment is not just about technology, but about preparing young girls for the future of work and innovation, ensuring they were globally competitive in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.
The minister said the ICT and infrastructure upgrade being embarked upon by the FGGC Old Girls was in addition to the provision of 23 laptops for the ICT Lab and the crucial renovations of the Biology Laboratory and the school library.
He said: “Access to clean water, which you addressed through the repair of the water reticulation system in the hostels, speaks directly to student welfare, a top priority for the ministry.”
In her opening remarks, the national president of the association, Itoro Clement Isong, said the school was founded to be a beacon of light that shaped young minds and future leaders.
Isong stated that the school has produced doctors, engineers, teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, homemakers, beauty queens, politicians and public servants and all careers in-between, who she said were making a difference not just in Nigeria, but across the globe.
On her part, chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the association, Ibim Semenitari, said the Old Girls decided to execute two strong legacy projects; the Legacy Park, and the Smart Classrooms for the girls.
“This is not the first time the Old Girls are executing projects here. We have complete ICT Lab, Sick Bay, Tractors for the school, Scholarship Scheme that helps indigent children. We have even supported some Old Girls who found it difficult to go to the University to accomplish the dream. We have a mentorship programme where Old Girls mentor the younger ones.
“So, this 50th anniversary, we said, let us do something different. The Smart Classrooms are simply next generation, the most current you can have. It allows the children and teachers interface in realtime in manners that make the children enjoy the content, and to access virtual reality to make things happen,” Semenitari said.
