Casio, SKLD to combat counterfeit products in Nigerian education sector

Casio, a renowned calculator brand, along with its distributing partner SKLD Integrated Services Limited, has urged government bodies, educational institutions, and stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector to unite in the fight against counterfeit products and to promote authentic calculators.

This call to action came during a Casio distributors conference, where the primary objective was to address the issue of counterfeit products and ensure the presence of genuine Casio calculators in the market.

According to Leadership, Casio conducted research on the usage of scientific calculators among senior secondary school students, revealing that 60 per cent of them do not use calculators at all, 33 per cent use counterfeit products, and only 7 per cent utilise authentic Casio calculators.

Temilola Adepetun, managing director of SKLD Integrated Services Limited, expressed concern over the prevalence of fake products in Nigeria.

She noted that “it seems as though our country has become a dumping ground for counterfeit goods, while we have not taken sufficient measures to prevent it.

“When we travel abroad, we request lookalike products instead of genuine ones, whereas in other countries, strict regulations are in place to prevent such practices.”

Adepetun questioned the effectiveness of organizations like the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in enforcing regulations to ensure the availability of authentic products.

She also raised the issue of examination bodies permitting the use of any calculator instead of endorsing the use of authentic ones.

Adepetun observed that mathematics and other science subjects require calculations. She emphasized their importance in academic success.

“Counterfeit calculators may provide incorrect answers, cause delays, and adversely affect exam results,” she said.

She stressed the need to cleanse society from the proliferation of fake products and acknowledged the importance of loyal dealers, distributors, and resellers who prioritize selling genuine items despite the prevalence of cheaper counterfeits in the market.

Koichi Danjo, education specialist from Casio Japan, expressed their commitment to enhancing the education sector in Nigeria.

He mentioned their involvement in various activities aimed at improving mathematics education by supporting both teachers and students.

Casio has trained over 3,000 teachers in Lagos, provided seminar and teaching materials, and donated a Casio lab to the Lagos State Enterprise Resource Centre. They conducted a pilot project comparing the scores of students using genuine scientific calculators with those who did not use them, and the former group demonstrated significantly higher scores.

Casio aims to expand this initiative throughout Lagos and eventually across the entire country.