39 teachers receive Wikipedia digital education certificates in Anambra

By Praise Chinecherem

A total of 39 teachers were on Saturday presented with certificates for successful completion of use of Wikipedia website for digital education training in Anambra State.

Speaking during the presentation at Dennis Memorial Grammar School, DMGS, Onitsha, the free online encyclopaedia lead facilitator, Mrs Obiageli Ezeilo, said the beneficiaries were selected out of 50 teachers who participated in the one month training.

She said the training targeted at educating teachers on how to access and improve their media and information literary skills in classroom, focused mostly on reading Wikipedia in the classroom for junior and senior secondary school teachers and students.

“The programme is a free online training programme designed for teachers to learn how to integrate Wikipedia as a learning tool in the classroom.

“It will also teach them how to access and evaluate information and how to use the information effectively in teaching and learning,” she explained.

While hailing the teachers for their successful completion of the training, Ezeilo disclosed those who were unsuccessful still have opportunity to reapply, attributing their failure to absence from classes, lateness, lack of seriousness to leaning, among others factors.

The lead facilitator further stressed the need for the teachers to master Wikipedia website to improve their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills.

“Wikipedia is a reliable tool for teaching, as it assists in research ability, ICT compliance, digital compliance in this 21th century”, she further stated.

Earlier, one of the resource person in Wikipedia, Dr Perpetual Osuchukwu
explained that the training was a pilot project which would soon be spread to other zones with a view to making teachers Wikipedia digital friendly for easy access on website information.

She assured the unsuccessful teachers of anothe opportunity to reapply and commence training in the various zones of Wikipedia centers.

Achukwu Onyinye Jane, another facilitator, expressed satisfaction with the success of the program, urging the successful teachers to improve in their efforts to change the narratives for a better online digital education.

The occasion also witnessed presentation of wrappers and cash to best teachers/all successful teachers and lecture from stakeholders from US and Borivia via online.