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By Chinenye Anuforo
Great Height Academy has partnered with information and communication technology giant, New Horizons Nigeria, to deploy its first smart home automation devices and a security alarm system.
At the recent parent-teacher association (PTA) meeting, the director/owner of Great Height Academy, Hajia Rabi Namtari, led parents and teachers to witness the presentation and inauguration of the projects embarked upon by the students with 100 per cent support from the IT consultant – New Horizons.
Namtari applauded the girls for making the school proud and appreciated New Horizons for its unparalleled support since the partnership was birthed several years ago.
Recall that Great Height Academy launched a State-of-the-Arts Robotics and Virtual Reality Laboratory in the year 2021 with New Horizons giving technical support.
The PTA chairman, Alhaji Rabiu Umar Muhammad, who was impressed by the demonstration, said women were coming up and matching men shoulder to shoulder in technology, engineering, science, etc. He also appreciated New Horizons for its technical support for the school.
During the inspection by the parents and teachers, the students took time to explain the technologies behind the projects. On the Smart Home Automation (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity), the students explained that the motive behind this project is to control all gadgets connected to a power source at home/office using the mobile phone as a power control.
The Wi-Fi version can be controlled anywhere in the world provided there is internet connectivity, while the Bluetooth version can only be controlled within the range of a 100-meters. Some parents tried to verify the students’ claim by testing the device. All the lights in the hall were turned off from the wall but the volunteered parent used his phone to turn on all the lights as claimed by the students.
The advantage of this device is in case you forgot to turn on/off your gadgets, even after you have left your home/office, you can still turn them on/off without necessarily being physically there.
On the Security Alarm System with call and SMS feature: Given the high level of insecurity in Nigeria as at date, the girls designed a device to secure the principal’s office and alert her in the instance of a security breech or unpermitted access by triggering the alarm system and notifying her via text message or call regardless of her current location.
Again, a parent was asked to try to gain entry into the Director’s office without permission, suddenly, there was an alarm and the Director instantly received an SMS alert and a picture of the intruder on her mobile device. The parents were visibly amazed and gave accolades to the school and more importantly, to the IT company New Horizons for training the students on the 4th Industrial Revolution otherwise known as 4IR.
The 4IR is a fusion of advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Genetic Engineering, Quantum Computing, and lots more. At the beginning of the academic session, New Horizons introduced some trending courses to the institution amongst which are 3D Technology, Robotics, Automation, etc.
Some students in SS2 and SS3 were selected and saddled with the responsibilities to identify a gap/need and use the trending IT technologies to solve the problem or bridge the cap. The students identified and came up with two projects (1) Smart Home Automation (WIFI and Bluetooth connectivity) and (2) Security Alarm System with call and SMS feature.
It is worth noting that all the components used for these projects were modelled and printed by the students in the school’s new Robotics and Virtual Reality Lab and the Apps used were also developed by them. This means that the students have, over the years been exposed to a myriad of ICT skills (coding/programming, 3D modelling and Printing, App development) which has helped in improving their problem-solving capacity and ability to work in teams.
During the project lunch, the General Manager of New Horizons Systems Solutions, northern region, Mr. Dave Abolagba expressed enjoined parents to keep supporting their wards to bridge the gap in technology between Nigeria and other advanced countries.
