By Francis Sadhere, Warri

As part of Chevron’s social investment initiative for it’s host communities, ten public schools from Delta state have benefited from the Chevron-Discovery Learning Aliance (DLA) Initiative, a Chevron-sponsored interactive learning programmes for public primary school children in the state.

The General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr Esimaje Brikinn who spoke at the occasion of the ceremonial handing over of the learning centres to the ten schools, noted that 13,123 pupils, and 789 teachers have benefit from the Chevron-DLA learning center initiative.

Esimaje, who was represented by the Senior Government Affairs Advisor, CNL, Mr Happy Appai, said that Chevron has an unwavering commitment to the development of education, health delivery and economic development in its area of operation and beyond.

Brikinn added that the video in the class room project is a demonstration of Chevron’s commitment in strategic partnership and programmes that improve the socio-economic situation if communities in the areas and countries where they are.

He commended the support of the Delta State government, through the ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Chevron’s implementive partners, DLA and other stakeholders for making the completion ceremony, which started a five years ago, a reality.

He said, “In keeping with our values, for this programme, Chevron Corporation has partnered with DLA to enhance the level of education in our schools. Partnership is at the heart of our Social Investment initiatives. Through our partnership, we leverage on our own and our partners expertise, skills, technical knowledge and financial resources to add value to the lives of the people in the communities around which we operate.”

Giving a brief history of the Checron-DLA Learning Center Initiative in Delta State, Brikinn said that the goal of the project which started in Lagos State and later brought to Delta, is to improve educational opportunities for children and communities through school-based Learning Centers, improve student learning and motivation, increase teacher’s effectiveness and increase parent/community involvement in schools.

While noting that several thousands of community members have benefited indirectly from the initiative, Brikinn added that an external Evaluator’s Report has showed significant improvement in State-administered School-Leaving exams, effectiveness of teachers in the classroom, student participation and performance in the classroom, rate of student attendance, parental and community participation and involvement in school activities, amongst others.

He added that as Chevron is handing over the project to the schools, The Educational videos, the DVD Players as well as the Television sets used for the project, will remain with the schools to support the continuity and sustainability of the project.

The Delta State Commissioner for Education (Basic and Secondary) Mr Chinedu Ebie, who also spoke at the event, commended Chevron for the initiative, appealing to private and cooperate organizations to

emulate Chevron’s initiative and think of ways to partner with the state government under its Support-A-School Program and look at areas where they can develop education in the state.

The Commissioner added that the state government believed that training and mentoring program in the effective use of videos in the class room and the use of the 21st century skills have offered the teachers and students in the selected  schools greater opportunity higher proficiency in the teaching/learning process and future career.

He said, “It is important to note that the administration of Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa continues to place a high premium on education and remain focus in improving the quality of  education provided  to school age children in Delta State. This project is incapsulated in the SMART agenda of this administration. Government believed that partnership with private sector has the potential of creating an efficient platform for qualitative basic ah and secondary education. Such partnership will result in meaningful progress in the role of elevating our quality of education at this crucial time when government alone cannot sustain the developmental expectation in the educational sector.”

The Project Director, DLA, Mrs Felicia Moh in an interview with journalists said the initiative which started in 2013 was to improve the quality of education where the parents and communities will be engaged in the learning process of their children.

She said, “This initiative has provided three things for the schools which include programme, training and technology. We provide the schools with TV sets, DVDs, generating sets, educational materials and training. We involve the parents and the communities by asking them to provide security for all the equipment we have provided for the schools. We also told them if any of the materials are destroyed or got missing, they will be responsible for replacing them. The pupils in all the ten schools have improved greatly since we introduced this program.”

Also, the Chairman, Association of Primary School Headteachers of Nigeria (AOPPSHON), Lady Oghenekevwe Shola-Abigor, while thanking Chevron, Delta State Government and DLA for the initiative, appealed to them not to end the program but extend it to five or more schools in the state, stressing that more schools are clamoring for the program to be brought to their school.

Speaking on behalf of all the ten beneficiaries of the program, Elder Mrs Alice Nwosibe reeled out some of the benefits of the to include, population explosion in the schools, stimulation of interest of pupils to learn, improved creative and faster learning, fun and effective form of learning etc.

She added, “On the other hand video in the classroom has made teaching less cumbersome. The difference between pupils in the schools using video in the classroom and others is very clear.

She thanked Chevron, Delta State Government and Discovery Learning Alliance for the success of the programme, promising that they will not let the project die as they have been trained to train others to keep the flame aglow.

The ten schools that benefited from the programme are: Mowoe primary school, Ojojo primary school, Cavegina primary school, Ekpan Primary School, Ogunu Primary School, Agbeje Primary School, Ewein Primary School, Evwereke Primary School, Egharegbem Primary School and Edjeba Primary School, all selected from Warri South, Uvwie, Okpe and Warri South West local government areas of Delta State.