Osun State government has begun the distribution of e-learning computer tablets for the 2017/2018 academic session to students in the final year in the state public schools.
The distribution of the tablets began in an informal ceremony at Government High School, Osogbo, as the students and teachers were excited to receive the device again. While it lasted, 30,000 units of the tablets will be given to final year students who will be writing the SSCE, NECO and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) examinations – and their teachers, across the state.
The device, nicknamed ‘Opon Imo’ (Tablet of Knowledge), was introduced by the Aregbesola administration in 2013 as a first-of-its-kind stand alone e-learning tablet to aid learning by secondary school students in the state.
The beneficiaries so far have been final year students in the state. Since its introduction in 2013, it has served four sets of final year students in Osun public schools. Out of the intended 150,000 tablets, 50,000 copies have so far been produced and distributed every session to final year students and their teachers.
The practice however has been to withdraw them from the students after they complete their final year examinations. The tablets will then be taken for refurbishment and software upgrade and once they are ready, they will be distributed to the new set of final year students.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony at Osogbo Government High School, the Principal of the school, Mrs Folorunsho Ladapo, described Opon-Imo as unusual education infrastructure in the state.