The Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), in partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has distributed learning iPads and cash support to secondary school students in Rivers State to enhance digital learning and academic development.
The presentation was made on Monday at the Government House, Port Harcourt, by the Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented by the Wife of the Rivers State Governor, Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, through the RHI State Coordinator, Tonye Briggs-Onyide.
Senator Tinubu said the learning devices were provided by the NDDC to support junior secondary school students and expand their access to digital educational resources.
She explained that the iPads had been preloaded with educational applications to make learning easier and more engaging.
The Wife of the President urged the beneficiary schools to ensure that the devices were used strictly for educational purposes, stressing that they were not meant for sale.
She also directed the schools to provide evidence of distribution and ensure that the learning aids reached the intended students.
Receiving the devices, Mrs. Gladys Ogudechika of Community Secondary School, Oyigbo, Oyigbo Local Government Area, thanked the Wife of the President and the Wife of the Governor for the gesture, saying it would strengthen the students’ learning skills.
Similarly, Boyle Dedeboma of Community Secondary School, Akinima, Ahoada-West Local Government Area, commended the initiative, noting that the pre-installed learning applications would greatly assist teachers and students.
Meanwhile, the RHI also handed over more than 10,000 sanitary pads to the Rivers State Ministries of Education and Health for distribution to female students across the state.
Speaking at the occasion, which had the theme, “Empowering School Girls Through Menstrual Health,” Senator Tinubu said the donation was part of efforts to promote menstrual health among girls in schools.
Represented by Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara through the RHI State Coordinator, Tonye Briggs-Onyide, she directed the ministries to ensure that the sanitary pads reached government schools, including mixed schools, with priority given to students in rural communities.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr Mina Ikuru, described the initiative as timely, saying it would help break the silence and stigma surrounding menstrual health among young girls..
The beneficiries appreciated the Renewed Hope Initiative for the intervention.
