MultiChoice Nigeria opens new resource centres in Lagos

MultiChoice has returned to Lagos State for the third time since inception of its resource centre project in 2004, to inaugurate 10 additional centres. This brings the total in the state to 18. In its eighth phase, MultiChoice Resource Centre project has grown from four centres at inception in 2004 to 312 in 29 states in 2014. At inception of the project, Lagos got three centres with an additional five in 2013.

Each beneficiary school receives a TV set, high definition personal video recorder (HDPVR) decoder, generating set, complimentary subscription to DStv education bouquet, which contains BBC World, BBC Knowledge, National Geography, Animal Planet, National Geography Wild, History Channel, Learn and ED channel, as well as facilities such as chairs and tables, among others.

John Ugbe , Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, at the commemoration ceremony to launch the resource centres in Lagos State held at Eti-Osa Community Senior Secondary School, Sangotedo, Lagos, on Tuesday, 11 November, said: “The resource centre project is MultiChoice’s way of promoting the use of integrated and communication technologies to raise the standard of education by deploying the imagery of sight and sound to make learning more vivid and creative,” adding: “At MultiChoice, we have a strong conviction that the technological, economic, social and political advancement of any country has a direct correlation with its level of educational development and that the future of a country is intrinsically tied to the quality of education that the youths are exposed to.” He enjoined the ten beneficiary schools to maximize the use of the resource centres.

Aderonke Bello , Managing Director, Innovative Technology Literacy Services Limited (ITLS), the implementing partner for the MRC project, said: “Technology investment in schools is on the increase, and the deployment of satellite television to enhance learning is one key initiative that has helped to bridge the digital divide in rural communities. While technology will not replace teachers and textbooks, research has shown that technology-mediated learning environments provide immense opportunities for learners and lead inevitably to better teaching and learning outcomes.”

She thanked MultiChoice for giving back to the community and adding value to Nigeria’s education sector. “It is expected that all trained teachers will make good use of their acquired knowledge to bring the often abstract, distant worlds of science into close focus and within the personal, meaningful realm of each student,” she added.

ITLS trained 50 teachers, five each from the beneficiary schools as MRC coordinators. The teachers are expected to in turn train their colleagues and ensure effective and efficient use of the resource centres.

Mary Oyetunde , Director, Co-Curriculum, Science & Technology, Lagos State Ministry of Education, thanked MultiChoice for the MRC initiative, describing it as complementary to Lagos State’s effort to provide improved facilities for enhanced teaching and learning. “MultiChoice Resource Centre project facilitates e-learning, as our students can now utilize the satellite TV technology to obtain relevant facts and latest development in subject areas that have hitherto proved difficult to understand,” she said.

She thanked MultiChoice and assured that the beneficiaries will utilize the resource centres to raise the bar of education delivery and students’ performance in Lagos State. “We shall continue to evaluate the impact of this intervention on education in the State with a view to obtaining better results. We hope that this partnership will be sustained to guarantee the future of our children,” she said.