The governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has flagged-off the construction of a Centre for Experiential Learning and Innovation as part of its sustainability plans for the Smart Green School system.
The Centre, which is situated at the Enugu State College of Education (Technical), Enugu and comprises 25 model classrooms, ICT hub, and e-library, among other hi-tech sections and equipment will serve as training and retraining hub to groom teachers in digital innovation, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, robotics, and such related areas to be able to function optimally in delivering knowledge in the state’s 260 smart schools.
Flagging off the construction at the weekend, the governor who was represented by Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, the commissioner for Education, said it was part of the priority of his administration to build smart human capital, upscale the workforce, produce children who would serve as the fourth industrial revolution, and achieve zero per cent poverty headcount in the state.
“The Experiential Learning and Innovation centre, as the governor envisioned it, is a centre responsible for making sure that all Smart teachers already experience the Enugu Smart Green Schools before they graduate from the Enugu College of Education Technical, ESCET, as students.
“Experiential learning is being practiced in universities. So, Enugu is the first to introduce it in primary and post-primary schools.
“So, before you even send teachers for the teaching practice, they need to have spent time in the Centre for Experiential Learning and Innovation to develop those pedagogical skills that they need to succeed in the Smart Green School.
“Experiential learning is about supporting children in school to learn through practice. It is about moving away from a scenario where teachers just lecture to one in which our teachers are able to design projects that engage students in activities and problem-solving. So, through those projects, they are able to learn those concepts, internalise them, and use them to solve problems.
“So, it is tied to sustainable goals and we support our students and teachers to identify local problems and come up with solutions tying them to sustainable development goals,” he stated.
Mbah commended the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TetFund, which he said was paying for the project, having recognized the state’s investment in education.
“Tetfund is paying for the project because they see our investment and innovation in education. They also see Enugu College of Education Technical as one of the dynamic institutions in the country. And when they see the success, then it can be replicated in other institutions and parts of the country, he added.
In her remarks, Dr. Stella Ekwueme, the provost of ESCET, commended Governor Mbah’ leadership, which she said, had positioned the state as a pacesetter in the education sector within a very short period.
She also thanked TetFund for partnering with the Enugu State Government on the project, which she explained would revolutionalise learning in the state and ultimately, the nation in general.
Staff Writer 
Joan Aimuengheuwa