Quality skills-based education: Microsoft, UNICEF partner ECEWS

Ini Billie, Uyo

The Bank of Industry (BOI), Microsoft, and UNICEF have partnered with Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme (ECEWS). Their goal is to equip schools and ensure quality education across the country. They also focus on skills-based education.

ECEWS has attracted N84 million from the BOI through the collaborations. This fund is for the renovation of dilapidated structures in Ibiaku Secondary School, Uruan local government area, Akwa Ibom State. They have also sponsored training of young people in digital and Microsoft-related skills.

Speaking on Wednesday in Uyo, Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr Andy Eyo, made an announcement. He mentioned that the digital skills in Microsoft-related training will soon commence for youths. He called for a review of the educational curriculum in the country to accommodate skills-based education.

Eyo said the skills-based education would open up opportunities for job creation and employment. He noted that in 24 years of ECEWS’s existence, the non-profit organisation has intervened in the health sector nationwide. It has also impacted the educational sector. This is particularly true in the area of training and manpower development.

“Over the years, we have provided scholarships, we provided training, we’ve provided books to school libraries, and encouraged reading clubs in these schools. In Akwa Ibom right now, we’re renovating schools with the Bank of Industry, and we’re introducing WASH facilities.

Recently, we revisited one of our earlier schools, Etoi secondary school. We fixed most of the toilets there to ensure that open defection is reduced. Children can now have comfort to stay in their classrooms and learn.

“I think for us, education is total and we continue to reinforce that through looking at partnership opportunities, making people more employable.

“We’re using a Microsoft Centre here. We’re going to be training loads of our young people in Microsoft certification. This will enable them to earn money right here in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.

“There’s a lot that can be done in education. But I think, again, revisiting our curriculum. We must address the issue by making our education system more skill-based. People need to return with skills ready for work. And that’s something that we’re thinking about strongly as we, you know, venture forward.

“I mean if you go to the union, which is a very old, good school over the years. This was one of the contributing factors why we chose Ibiaku Secondary School. It was one of the best in the 80s and the 70s. We saw it completely dilapidated, with children not in school. We decided to fix a classroom block and make it more habitable. More surrounding children will be able to come into school,” he stated.