Adebola Kolawole, head teacher, Ojodu Junior Grammar School, Ojodu –Berger, Lagos has applauded Coderina for instituting First Lego League (FLL) in Nigeria, aimed at tasking the brains of pupils in various schools across the country.
Meanwhile, Kolawole believes that with supports from Government and private sectors, the competition will go places, bringing about mathematical, technological and engineering changes in the country.
Speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek at the FLL competition held at the University of Lagos (UniLag) recently, she said, “I came here to cheer up my team which is the victorious team in this programme that is being organized by SAP and First Lego League at University of Lagos Campus after the students had been given robots to carry out individual task.
“The main project that was presented by my school which is an electronic light project on how you can generate light in a dark environment and the light will be visible.
“It is the first of its kind, a pilot scheme. My expectation is that in the next one to two years a lot of schools will come up to see the importance of this, which is brain tasking and to encourage the students to do better even in their basic correct schools because they have to task their intelligence, their medullar-oblongata. It helps to develop their brain. Next year by the grace of God I want to see many schools coming up to compete and show interest in First Lego League competition”.
She revealed that the schools success in the competition could be linked to an equipped ICT lab donated to the school by the State Government.
“It was given to us by the Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology with 24 hours internet service, with a lot of computers in the ICT room. I can confidently say that the students are computer literate because from basic seven to nine they are all computer literate,” she said.
Speaking further on the First Lego League, Kolawole said, “The organizers of the First Lego League under the leadership of Olajide Ajayi have done very well. They gave my school and others the robots which are very expensive for us to use.
“I want to appeal to government, corporate bodies and NGOs to come and support these people. When we begin to catch them young, this will help the students a lot. The students in my school have come to embrace the robotic programme, but all of them cannot participate in it.
“It has to do with tasking the brain and it’s not everybody that is scientific oriented, some are commercial base, vocational base and others technical base. It is a new thing in Lagos state but there in abroad young children do this often because they have the wherewithal and computer at their disposal. Now that they have embraced it, I know that it will go places.
While assessing the programme in terms of awareness, she said, “The government should come in to create awareness in the schools and the country. They should help to publicise it, and advertise it with sponsors. The media should also come in by showing different forms of robotic games on television, as this will encourage and brighten the intellectual capability of these children.
“They will begin to explore how to do robotic things, while rich parents could get the materials for their children even at home. They will begin to see things in another perspective since it will enhance their children and they will start practicing at home not even in the school.
The FIRST® LEGO® League, an exciting and fun global robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology in kids ages 9 to 16.
She aligned her thought with Professor Charles Uwadia, head of Computer Science, University of Lagos (UniLag) who earlier said that Coderina has shown that sustainability of Science and Technology, Engineering and Education in Nigeria must not be overlooked.
Holding for the first time in Nigeria, but for the penchant interests of SAP, world leading Enterprise Application Software provider and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the number one ICT agency of the federal government led by the visionary Engr. Peter Jack; as the sponsors.
On his part, Mr. Olajide Ajayi, director, Coderina/FLL Nigeria, reiterated that technologies offer opportunities to stimulate growth, increase innovation and enable individuals and institutions to interact more productively within the global economy.
The Director said that matching resources by resourcefulness and combining such efforts with initiatives on the part of educators, government and the third sector in the quest to build capacity for our future creative leaders, has become even more essential.