Lead Coach, Glisten Academy, Balig Sadiq, has dismissed fears that AI would make teachers redundant, stressing that the technology should be seen as a tool to support learning.
Sadiq spoke when teachers from Enugu, Katsina, Niger, and the Federal Capital Territory converged on Abuja on Thursday for a three-day training programme on artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, and digital technologies.
The training, organised by Glisten International Academy in collaboration with the Miraisha Foundation, was designed to upskill teachers, particularly those in public schools, with the knowledge needed to prepare students for the future workplace.
Speaking at the event, Sadiq said what was imperative was for teachers to optimise the use of AI to make their work as educators more seamless.
Sadiq said, “AI will not replace teachers, but it may replace those who refuse to adapt. It is here to make our work easier, not to eliminate us.”
Speaking in the same vein, a representative of the Katsina State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mas’ud Sulaiman, said the use of AI in lesson preparation and exam question setting would greatly improve efficiency.
“I never imagined AI could generate multiple-choice or true/false questions within seconds – something that would normally take days,” he said.
Also speaking, Executive Director of Glisten International Academy, Abba Saidu, explained that the initiative was conceived to expose teachers to emerging technologies that can shape students for global competitiveness.
“This is a teacher training programme to educate our teachers with educational technology skills that will prepare our students for the future workspace. We are touching on areas such as AI, robotics education, drones, creativity, and innovation in schools,” Abba noted.
He added that while over 200 schools in Abuja and across Nigeria had previously benefitted from similar training, the current workshop marked the first expansion to include participants from other states and the FCT.
Acting Director-General of Miraisha Foundation, Bilyaminu Yunusa, said the training was meant to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical application in Nigeria’s education system.
He recalled that in 2024, the foundation trained 100 teachers from the FCT Secondary Education Board on VEX Robotics, adding that Nigerian students had gone on to win medals at international robotics competitions in Dallas, USA.
“That is where the world is today. In China, you see students doing incredible things, but our children here have the same capacity. So far, we have students in this school who have developed apps and competed globally,” Yunusa said.
Chief Executive of Glisten International Academy, Samira Jibir, urged participants to fully engage with the sessions and ensure that the training was cascaded to other educators in their states.
She also called for the creation of state-level action committees to sustain the programme’s long-term impact.
The participants received training in robotics education, integrating AI in teaching and learning, drone technology education, and computational thinking, among others.
