HP Inc. launches innovation and digital academy to equip educators in Nigeria with digital tools

HP Inc. has launched the HP Innovation and Digital Education Academy (IDEA) in collaboration with Intel, a leading producer of semiconductors and Mirai Partners, an education innovation consultancy. The newly launched program offers teachers and educators in Nigeria the opportunity to create digital capabilities based on educational frameworks from leading international universities.

In the COVID-19 era, educational institutions in Nigeria are scrambling with the new realities and are finding themselves forced into rethinking their operational models in the midst to ensure minimal disruption to their student’s learning experience and their career development. While technologies are increasingly available, teachers find themselves navigating new territory as they balance in-person, online, and hybrid learning.

Mayank Dhingra, Senior Education Business Lead for the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe at HP Inc., said, “Education is among the worst hit sectors from the pandemic. At the same time, it is one of the most promising sectors that – if we get it right – can reap the benefits of this new way of learning. In fact, we can now reach even more people than we ever did before. While the technology is advancing fast, there is a constant need to innovate to remain resilient. Hence, we need to make sure that teaching staff are able to acquire the right skills to take advantage of blended and digital learning solutions, which is why we have partnered with Mirai and Intel to launch HP IDEA.”

“This program is exciting as it is focused on pedagogy rather than based on specific product. This way we can equip educators with the latest tools and best practices in teaching and learning, which in turn will enable better learning outcomes,” he continued.

Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education added, “The teacher is the singular and most important individual in the education ecosystem and this partnership is a welcome development at such a time as this. Being an educator myself, this program would give teachers and educators the needed opportunity and expertise to be digitally inclined, acquire the right skills for a blended and digital learning solution and navigate new territories as they balance in-person, online, and hybrid learning. We are working closely to onboard our teachers to improve their capacity which would, in turn, reflect on our students’ learning outcome”.

Christine Nasserghodsi, Co-founder of Mirai commented, “We have been supporting schools in their response to COVID-19 since February. What began as a crisis response has evolved into a long-term approach to teaching, learning, leadership, and the use of digital tools and resources. Effective distance and hybrid learning require innovation and a deep understanding of learning design, one aspect of which is the use of technology. No one is better equipped to shape the future of education than teachers and school leaders. That is the core value of the HP IDEA program which we have translated into a year-long program for select schools.”

The program is mapped against and delivers on United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDG’s), the CESA objectives (Continental Education Strategy for Africa), the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and the Ministry of Education goals for UAE. The academy also incorporates world class research and frameworks from Harvard Graduate School of Education and University of Michigan.

As a result, Ministries of Education across the region, namely Nigeria, UAE and some more have shown great interest and are participating in the program by onboarding their teachers and school leaders to the new HP IDEA. Furthermore, private education providers have also joined HP’s newly launched platform, which marks a great start to the program as educators can now acquire lean and flexible teaching methods.

Two programs for participating schools will be made available by HP Inc. and Intel:

• HP IDEA Fellow – A one-year pathway for a select cadre of innovative practitioners and instructional leaders. It is an immersive teacher development program designed to enable teachers, leaders, and students to develop and access new learning modalities in select countries in the Middle East. Participating schools select 3-6 teachers and instructional leaders to shape practice at the school level through 4 conferences and weekly learning sessions.
• HP IDEA Associate – This includes focused coursework, designed by HP IDEA Fellows under guidance from Mirai & HP. All staff members at participating schools will have the opportunity to become HP IDEA Associates by engaging in turn around training developed and delivered by HP IDEA Fellows.

HP IDEA is a part of HP’s commitment to enable better learning outcomes for 100 million people globally by 2025. In addition to this new solution, HP has a series of educational programs such as the recently announced Classroom of the Future, HP Learning Studios, Campus of the Future, and HP LIFE that accelerate blended learning. HP LIFE is a free skills-training program from the HP Foundation, providing more than 30 online courses in seven languages for entrepreneurs, business owners, and lifelong learners all over the world. With a goal to enroll 1 million new users by 2025, the recently redesigned HP LIFE online platform aims at creating a more effective learning experience.