Lagos Government, GetBundi Inaugurate STEM Laboratory

The Lagos State Government in partnership with GetBundi Education Technology Company has inaugurated a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) laboratory at Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School, Yaba, Lagos.

The STEM laboratory is part of the pilot phase of the partnership between the Lagos State Government and GetBundi which aims to deploy GetBundi’s education technology platform across schools in the state.

Dr Adetola Salau, Special Assistant on Education to the Governor of Lagos State, who spoke at the ceremony on Thursday reiterated the importance of STEM education, noting it would help students to obtain the skills needed to tackle arising challenges.

“STEM will prepare students to constitute an effective workforce; it will equip them with the skills needed to excel in a rapidly changing, technology-driven society,” she said.

Salau explained that Getbundi's offer is in line with the Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM UP) Lagos project which she supervises.

The goal of the partnership, according to her, is to ingrain the objectives of a globally unified STEAM curriculum, and make learning fun, accessible, sustainable, and relatable to learners, while improving third critical thinking ability, problem identification and solving
skills.

She noted that through the partnership, GetBundi would help  “provide students with real-world experience and help them to develop the skills that are in demand in the job market."

Salad said the goal of developing these skills would be better achieved with the donation of a STEAM laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and software.

“They (Getbundi) supported our district here – Educational District IV, specifically Wesley Girls Secondary School – through this generous support which aligns with our goals that ultimately focus on the provision of quality education for all of the state’s children.

“This encourages educational innovation that aims to improve learning outcomes.

“We are also glad that this laboratory will be at a girls’ secondary school because we are focused on inspiring girls to pursue STEM courses and careers – by providing access to STEM resources directly at their school.

“That is expected to lead to the setting up of clubs and activities that would support students to learn more about STEM and its relevance to their lives,” she said.

Osita Oparaugo, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GetBundi, in his remark, explained that the STEM laboratory that had been set up at Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School was a pilot programme to allow the Lagos State government to evaluate the platform and get feedback from students and teachers.

“The ultimate aim is to ensure that government and GetBundi could then formulate the right framework to deploy the technology across Lagos government schools,” he explained.

According to him, GetBundi, a government-approved online educational technology platform, focuses on using technology to make high-quality and engaging STEM subjects for secondary school and digital skills courses accessible across Africa.

“Less than 18 per cent of Africans, Nigerians inclusive, who enter the universities, pursue science-related fields due to lack of appreciation of STEM caused by the inability of African countries to invest in science education mostly at the secondary school level.

“For instance, by 2030, there will be nearly 250 million job gaps in the digital space as our world is constantly changing through technology.

“African youths must be equipped with the right skill if they want to be productive and competitive,” he said.

According to him, the existing gaps are the reason for the establishment of GetBundi which has the goal of “massifying STEM and Digital Skill courses across Africa''.

Oparaugo stated that GetBundi had a target of training 10 million African workforces by 2030 under the GetBundi Vision 2033.

He announced that GetBundi offers online vocational training on 16 digital skills courses six, with courses in pidgin English developed by industry experts in Africa and around the globe.