New dawn in Osun as ‘knowledge tablet’ debuts.

A CASUAL window-shopping in a bookshop at Dockland, in the United Kingdom sometime in 2011 by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the comical, unassuming governor of Osun state, has translated into some tremendously good fortune for the state’s public secondary school students.

While in that bookshop, Aregbesola had come across a simple electronic learning device and an idea immediately struck him. It occurred to him that something similar to the device could be adapted to suit and transform the Osun State education sector.

When he returned home, he summoned his lieutenants and sold the idea of producing a similar device with some education content that could be used by the state’s secondary students to them. Work began. However, the governor and his officials did not initially come to terms with the enormity of their new project.

While on it, the team saddled with the responsibility ran into several hurdles that were not anticipated. Like the normal computer devices, the tablet was to have both the hardware and software. While the hardware was easy to assemble, the process of putting the software in place proved somehow difficult.

But in the end, the team came up with the Opon Imo (knowledge tablet), made up of three major components: textbooks, tutorials and samples of examination questions, like a mobile library all embedded in an ipad. About 150, 000 students in the state public senior secondary classes will now get a unit each.

It was thus understandable that the Osun state government made a big show of the launch of Opon Imo, last Monday in Ilesha. The roll call was impressive: former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; governors of Ekiti and Oyo states, Mr. Kayode Fayemi and Mr. Abiola Ajimobi amongst others.

Displaying the tablet at an elaborate ceremony, held at Zenaba Half Moon Hotel and Resort, Ilesa, Aregbesola declared that Osun state’s process of democratizing education had begun. “It is a first of its kind, stand-alone learning tablet in the world for self-paced study,” he announced gleefully. “The virtual classroom category contains 63 e-books, covering 17 academic subjects for examinations being conducted by WAEC (West African Examinations Council), NECO (National Examinations Council) and JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board).”

According to him, the innovation also contains non-academic, life-enriching subjects, such as the History of the Yoruba; Sexuality Education; Civic Education; Ifa on ethics and morals; Enterprise Education; hints and tips on passing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and How to live a Healthy and Happy life.

He explained: “This section also contains an average of 16 chapters per subject and 823 chapters in all, with about 900 minutes or 15 hours of audio voiceovers. In the integrated test zone of the device, there are more than 40,000 UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination) and WASSCE practice questions and answers, dating back to about 20 years. It also contains mock tests in more than 51 subject areas, which approximates to 1,220 chapters, with roughly 29,000 questions referencing about 825 images.”

Weighing just 1.1kg, the Opon Imo according to him, has the advantage of both a small size and lightweight, which allow for flexibility. He also pointed out that the tablet of knowledge would be distributed free, to relieve parents of the financial burden expended on learning materials.

Another advantage of the innovation, he further explained, “is that it can be solar-powered.” Besides, it records audio lessons; saves students the stress of copying notes during lessons; spares them more time to learn; facilitates early exposure of students to ICT; and has up to six hours of battery life. Its touch screen device makes for easy use too.

Aregbesola disclosed that Osun state would be saving a whopping sum of N50.25 billion, that would have been spent to purchase textbooks in the 17 subjects being taught in its public schools; on the hard-copies of 51 audio tutorials; JAMB and WAEC’s past questions and answers for all subjects, over a period of 10 years.

“We do not have to buy books, as long as the tablets are in use, he averred. “We also cannot quantify the cost of the virtual classroom, which does not even exist anywhere, except in Opon Imo. The introduction of Opon Imo is a precious high point in our comprehensive plan to totally remake the public school system in Osun.”

The governor observed that since the world was tilting towards ICT, “Opon Imo is a bold statement on the determination of the state government to qualitatively redefine public education.” He added: “With Opon Imo, we are certain to open the doors of good education to more of our students, who would otherwise have been denied that priceless opportunity. Through education, we are rescuing our children from possible misery.”

He stated that Opon Imo was designed only for senior school pupils, even as the state continues to look into ways to absorb the lower classes into the initiative, as soon as the appropriate textbooks and funds are available.

On the business side, he disclosed that a factory for the assemblage of the computer tablets is taking off in the state. “It will provide jobs for our youths and bring revenue to the government. “The foundation for the making of Osun the Information Technology hub of the nation has been laid,” he said.

But in his characteristic manner, Aregbesola did not forget to hit hard at those he described as enemies of progress. His words: “While we were working hard at achieving success, the professional naysayers and incurable non-achievers had started to snigger. They went about town to wag their tongues in the spiteful meanness of their spirit and the small-minded pettiness of their self-conceit, that the project had failed according to their dark prophecy. But instead, it was their false prophecy that failed.”

He continued: “The much-awaited Opon Imo has finally arrived. The smart computer tablet has entered the education scene, to the glory of Almighty God; to the victory of the public school students of Osun, but to the utter bewilderment of cynics, whose ardent wish is for the project to fail. Unfortunately for them, God has a different plan for Osun and for its good people”.

And to those he described as armchair critics, who accused the state government of eliminating textbooks with the introduction of Opon Imo, he said: “The question to ask then is, ‘what if?’ Textbooks are printed mainly from wood, grown on hundreds of thousands of hectares of land every year. This has grave implications for the environment. Secondly, as all education managers know, after teachers’ salaries, books take the next disproportionate share of the budget. At any rate, the world is going digital and we would be doing the children a lot of harm if they are not exposed to the digital world at an early age.”

The guest speaker and Country Director, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Prof Hassana Alidou, said while the world body recognized Nigeria’s concerted efforts in terms of enrollment and increased allocation to the education sector, “relatively little progress has been made in achieving the Education For All (EFA) goals.”

Besides, she noted that in sub Saharan Africa, many children were emerging from schools without acquiring writing, reading or numeracy skills. She wondered if teaching was actually taking place in the schools, stressing that the skills were important for progress across the continent.

Alidou disclosed that UNESCO would be allocating $6.4 million to support the Federal Government in revitalizing literacy and adult education in Nigeria. She charged African leaders to embrace modern technology, especially in the development of children in the continent, underscoring the need for the introduction ICT into all sectors.

Commenting on Opon Imo, she said: “this tool would be useful including the fact that the questions’ platform would be useful in examination. Digital literacy eliminates digital divide and improves learning among children. This is putting education in the hands of the learner and moving away from the conventional rote learning.”

To the students, she said: “the message of the tablet is a message of a father who loves his children. Through this tablet, you are obligated and motivated to give the best of yourself through your own achievement.”

Master Okeoluwa Femi-Lawrence, an SS2 student from Ilesa Grammar School, who had been using tablet for about two months said: “Opon Imo is something great. I give kudos to the governor because the tablet was designed in a way that the students are familiar with. The portability is amazing. Now, I find reading much easier like never before. I carry it everywhere and I can read anywhere, even on the move. For many of us whose parents cannot even afford textbooks, this is a life saver.”

He added:  “For me, Opon Imo is a teacher, so I advise other students to take advantage and not abuse it as some students are rather focusing more on the games aspect. I want them to utilize the positive aspect of the tablet and not let the governor down considering the huge amount of money spent on the project.

Deborah Olayemi, also an SS2 from Baptist High School said: “Opon Imo contains all the textbooks we need as students. We have the opportunity to read. Before now, our parents can only buy some textbooks because they cannot afford to buy all. I am now improving in subjects such as Commerce, Economic and Accounting.”

Source : NG GUARDIAN