Ekiti, Kaduna to Pilot Digital Skills Certification Programme

Ekiti and Kaduna states have been selected from 18 states participating in the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) to pilot the Personalised Digital Skills Framework for Assessing Students and Teachers (PDS-FAST) programme.

The initiative aims to strengthen digital competence among teachers and students in public secondary schools.

The PDS-FAST technical team, led by Mr Olubunmi Olorunpomi, arrived in Ekiti on Thursday 27 February 2026 to begin activities for the pilot phase.

The first stage involved an assessment of ICT infrastructure in selected schools that registered for the programme.

The exercise verified the availability of computer laboratories, desktop systems and laptops in the schools. It accounted for 60% of the overall evaluation score.

The second stage, an innovation pitch, was held on Tuesday 3 March at the Ministry of Women Affairs Hall in Ado-Ekiti.

During the session, participating schools presented their commitment to digital learning and demonstrated how technology-driven education is being integrated into their institutions.

The pitch accounted for the remaining 40% of the evaluation.

Speaking at the event, Ekiti State Commissioner for Education, Dr Olabimpe Aderiye, said the selection of the state as a pilot location reflected the government’s continued investment in digital education.

She said the government, through strategic interventions and the AGILE project, had expanded access to ICT tools and digital learning infrastructure in public secondary schools.

According to her, the initiative is helping to prepare students for the demands of a technology-driven global economy.

The Ekiti AGILE Project Coordinator, Mrs Yewande Adesua, said the programme would further strengthen digital skills among teachers and students in Senior Secondary School One and Two (SS1 and SS2).

She explained that SS3 students were excluded to allow them focus on preparations for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).

Other officials present at the pitching session included the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr Bayode Ogunmola, the Director of Science and Technology in the ministry, Dr Ileola Ayoola, and the Director of Schools as well as Project Coordinator of the IDEAs Project, Mrs Adenike Akinyemi.

The PDS-FAST team also included Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Tokkida Samlek.

At the end of the combined assessment and innovation pitch, six schools were selected for the pilot phase.

They are Ado Community Grammar School, C.A.C Comprehensive High School, Eyemote Community Grammar School, Deji Fasunhan Model College, Harding Model College and Ujilogun Community High School.

The schools recorded overall scores of 89, 89, 89, 89, 88 and 88% respectively.

Under the programme, each selected school will nominate 50 students and 15 teachers for an intensive six-week digital skills training.

Participants will afterwards sit for the International Certification of Digital Literacy (ICDL) examination.