From Salim Umar Ibrahim, Kano
A private firm, Ubongo International, has trained teachers on digital content enhancement techniques, using edutainment to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Kano State.
The Head of Education and Research of Ubongo International, Cliodhna Ryan, at a one-day training workshop said the objective was to develop educational contents with entertainment for African schools.
She said the firm is using technology to develop digital contents and broadcast same through digital channels that will help to enhance quality teaching and learning in school.
Ryan said Ubongo’s mission was to use top quality and localised edutainment to help Africa’s children learn, and leverage their learning to change their lives, through its radio and television programmes, including cellphones broadcasting.
She said the edutainment for learning workshop was designed to empower teachers to use educational entertainment resources to support engaging and joyous learning for pupils, especially in classrooms.
She said they had reached more than 24 million households in 40 African countries with two shows for pupils – Akili and Me (3-6 years) and Ubongo Kids (7-14 years), and one show for parents – Akili and You, through Television, Radio, IVR, SMS, WhatsApp, YouTube, among others.
“We know that children learn best through their mother tongue, so Ubongo International has been adapted into 15 different local languages,” she said.
Suliyat Adeleye Idris, Education and Research Officer in Nigeria, said Ubongo is an NGO, which started in Tanzania in 2013 with the goal of bringing children all over Africa fun, localised, and top-quality learning.
“We believe that children learn best while having fun and so all of our shows use songs and stories to teach important topics,” she added.
Idris said the essence was to grow more partners that would be developing school contents that would support teaching and learning in schools.
During the training, participants were subjected into groups and each was made to identify some challenges in teaching and learning processes and how to address them through teaching that was combined with storytelling and edutainment.
