Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has launched a large-scale training programme for 18,000 primary and junior secondary school teachers across the state’s 33 local government areas, alongside the distribution of instructional materials, computer tablets, and modern teaching aids.
Speaking through his deputy, Barr. Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal, at the flag-off ceremony held Tuesday at Emmanuel College, Agbowo, Ibadan, the governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to equipping educators with 21st-century tools to enhance learning outcomes and meet global education standards.
The initiative, facilitated under the Global Partnership in Education programme sponsored by the World Bank in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), is expected to run for two weeks across 16 designated training centres.
“We cannot afford to be analogue in a digital age,” Makinde said. “These computer tablets, loaded with lesson plans for all subjects, will further enhance the instructional capacity of our teachers and foster the ability of our students to compete nationally and internationally.”
He stressed that the tablets—one for each of the 18,000 teachers—are designed to simplify lesson preparation, provide ready-made resources, and standardise teaching across the state. “All a teacher needs to do is open the tablet, select the subject, and begin teaching. This mode of learning is here to stay,” he added.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Education Intervention, Chief Suraj Abiodun Tiamy, noted that the training would be closely monitored to ensure that the lesson plans and teaching approaches align with the state’s curriculum. He added that university professors across Oyo State are leading the sessions, while a weekly monitoring system will track teachers’ usage of the devices.
Chairman of SUBEB, Dr. Nureni Adeniran, described the initiative as a leap forward in education delivery. “With this intervention, teachers can deliver lessons without separately writing lesson notes, as all plans are preloaded. It will accelerate learning and raise the standard of teaching to meet global benchmarks,” he said.
Representatives from UBEC, commissioners, education sector leaders, and union officials attended the event, while beneficiaries such as Mrs. Olufisayo Fajuyigbe praised the governor’s commitment to education and pledged to utilise the resources effectively.
