MainOne has revealed plans to train students on Scratch Programming (block coding).
In a statement to Financial Street on Tuesday to announce a partnership deal with STEMCafe, the telecom company said that training would be carried out in four primary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.
“MainOne, a broadband infrastructure company providing innovative telecom services and network solutions across West Africa, has set out to empower young children as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility by providing them with sponsored training on Scratch Programming.
“The programme will be facilitated in these schools by STEMCafe – a maker space for kids to explore and discover STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in a fun interactive way,” the document said.
The partners were quoted as saying that the pilot programme would contribute enormously to the early exposure to STEM education and empower young, future innovators.
“It is set to impact students of these schools with resources and requisite skills that will help nurture their 21st century skills by integrating their creative ideas,” it explained.
The schools benefiting from the partnership are Bonny Camp Primary School, VI; Kuramo Primary School, VI; Prudence City College, Yaba; and Ken-Ade Primary School, Makoko. The first two are public schools, while the others are private schools.
The Head, Corporate Services and Development at MainOne, Tinuola Ipadeola, said, “We are always happy to support initiatives such as STEMCafe science maker clubs, which nurtures young pupils across every social strata’s interests in STEM and encourages a generation of innovators and talents in science and technology across Africa.
“We will continue to provide support in every way we can to grow the MainOne Maker Space, as we seek to change lives and impact the lives of the children – our future.”
Giving insight into the partnership, the Founder of STEMCafe, Bosun Tijani, said, “The opportunity to expose more young people to science through play and projects takes us a step closer to fulfilling our goal of raising a new generation of makers across Africa. We are grateful for MainOne’s support to reach more kids who would have traditionally been excluded.”
