News
Shettima Approves Smart Class Initiative To Digitally Upgrade Nigerian Schools
Vice President Kashim Shettima has welcomed the offer by Schoolnet India Ltd & Learnet Skills Ltd to partner with the Nigerian government and private sector entities to implement its KYAN smart class solutions in Nigerian schools.
According to him, the project, which aims to digitally transform education by introducing interactive smart boards and digital content to improve learning outcomes, will be very beneficial to primary and secondary schools in Nigeria if domesticated with local content.
The Vice President, who spoke on Monday, when he received a team from Schoolnet India Ltd & Learnet Skills Ltd led by its Managing Director/CEO, Mr. RCM Reddy, described the KYAN smart class solutions as a rugged package with the capacity to deliver.
He asked the Schoolnet Ltd team to liaise with relevant officials of the federal government of Nigeria to deliberate on how to domesticate the learning package by integrating local content for Nigerian schools.
Shettima cited the smart school initiatives in Edo and Enugu, two States he said have invested heavily in smart schools, saying integrating such indigenous ideas and KYAN smart class solutions into a single unit will significantly benefit Nigerian schools.
He recalled the use of KYAN smart class solutions to teach students in Borno State while he was Governor of the State, pointing out that such innovations would revolutionise Nigeria’s education system.
He added: “The beauty of KYAN is that it is a very rugged machine. You can use one card to teach 70 students. If you are to buy a tablet per student, the highest you will target are higher institutions or senior secondary school.
“I am more interested in your package for primary schools and secondary schools like you did in Borno. In Borno you even did for tertiary institutions but now, tertiary can be replaced with TBET.
“So, you can package it well so that we can have a domesticated version. Honestly speaking, the Indian version of English is different from our own. Maybe you can use AI to customise it to our own local curriculum.”
Earlier, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SchoolNet India Limited, Mr. Reddy, said the company was highly inspired by the Nigerian government’s vision to adopt technology in classrooms.
In the company’s bid to leverage the vast educational opportunities in Nigeria, he explained that they are offering a very unique solution —“a school in a box,” also known as Kyan, describing the technology as all-in-one.
Highlighting the features of the innovation, Reddy said, “It has an integrated projector and a high-end computer. It converts any wall into a smart board and has a camera. It comes preloaded with digital content for grades 1 to 10.
“And it also uses AI where the internet is available. Where it is not available, all the content is preloaded inside this ‘school in a box’.”
Reddy further noted that if deployed, the Kyan innovation would have a significant impact on teachers’ performance in Nigeria.
He recalled that the Kyan technological solutions were introduced in Borno State when Vice President Shettima was Governor, noting that teachers in the State were trained to use it.
As advised by the Vice President, the Schoolnet MD promised to work closely with Nigerian officials to design an integrated solution suitable for Nigerian communities, including schools located in remote areas without internet connectivity as well as those where internet is available.
“We are very committed to developing a solution customised for Nigeria. If used properly, with the entire ecosystem in place in a holistic manner, an average teacher will become a good teacher. A good teacher will become a very good teacher. A very good teacher can become a star teacher,” he assured.
