W.TEC Academy trains 372 girls in Kwara

Training
By Chiazo Ogbolu
Lagos, June 6, 2019 (NAN) The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) has trained about 372 girls in its centres in Kwara.

The W.TEC Academy is an after-school technology club, which presents technology in an engaging way, with the aim of attracting more girls to pursue science and technology careers.

The Communications Officer, Mr Adeyemi Odutola, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday that the centres operate after-school computer club programme for girls.

Odutola said that the centres, which started in Ilorin, recently expanded to Offa with four additional schools.

“This expansion makes our programme the biggest since inception with a total of 372 girls trained in 13 schools.

“The W.TEC Academy programme is for secondary school girls within the age range of 13 to 16 and it starts immediately after the school period.

“The major focus is to get girls interested in computer, most especially girls in public schools,’’ he said.

Odutola said that the after-school programme on computer training for girls started in Lagos but had now moved to Kwara State to support computer education for girls in schools at their early stage.

He said that the centre used educational curriculum to support what the girls were  receiving in schools and worked with their computer teachers to achieve their aim.

According to Odutola, the Kwara State programme has been on for over a year and the trainees have done two calendar years.

He noted that there are four schools in Offa, while Ilorin has nine centres.

Odutola said that the centres started with fundamentals of computer but now the girls had advanced into digital designs where they designed fliers, book covers and others.

He pointed out that availability of computer systems in the schools determined the number of people they enrolled, saying that the girls were really coming out to partake in the programme

“When you give girls opportunities, they tend to use it effectively and they have been really receptive to the training given to them.

“The girls at St. Claire’s Offa, which is one of the new centres, have a good time learning the fundamentals of computer and they look forward to learning more next week,’’ Odutola said. (NAN)
CAN/KOLE/AJA
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Edited by Remi Koleoso/Adeleye Ajayi