By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate for Lagos State, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has said no country in the world gives content better than Nigerian teachers, stressing the need to strengthen the education sector through technology and artificial intelligence.
Hamzat spoke during a private dinner hosted by 7th Fifteen Capital Limited in Lagos, where he presented a summary of his manifesto and outlined his plans for the education sector.
The current Deputy Governor of Lagos said his administration would integrate Artificial Intelligence into the school curriculum to prepare teachers and students for modern demands.
“The teachers and students must be able to understand the tools. Even as a sociologist, you must understand the interface between AI,” he said.
He added, “The reality is that these machines are more intelligent than human beings.”
Hamzat said progress had been recorded in the Lagos education sector, noting that teachers had been provided with tablets containing prepared lesson notes, enabling the government to monitor students’ academic progress.
“With the already defined and prepared notes on the tablet, we are even able to monitor the academic progress of every student in each subject,” he said.
On absenteeism and lack of commitment among teachers, he said his administration would introduce measures to address the problem and sanction erring teachers.
“I have discovered that some teachers sit under the tree, selling something. They will not go to class. Now nobody can do that. We know when you enter the class,” he said.
He said teachers must remain central to learning, while technology should complement, not undermine, classroom teaching.
“There is a theory now that teachers are relying too much on technology to teach pupils in school. That is why Finland has now gone back to using the chalkboard in the classroom in primary school,” he said.
On competence, Hamzat said, “I have been to universities around the world. What I know is that the ability to give content to pupils, there is no country that does it better than Nigeria.”
He said focus should be on equipping teachers and students with skills to understand and use emerging technologies while retaining the human element in education.
Dignitaries at the event included: Hamzat’s running mate, Princess Damilola Sonayon-James; Deputy Director-General of the Lagos State Campaign Council and Director of Contact and Mobilisation Directorate, Hon. Rasaq Ajala; and House of Representatives member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Hon. Babajimi Benson, among others.
