NITDA wants emerging technologies captured in schools’ curriculum

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Friday urged stakeholders in the education sector to ensure that the curriculum of schools reflected emerging technologies needed for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Mr Kashifu Inuwa, the NOA Director-General, said this at the National Olympiad Award in Abuja on Friday.

The ceremony was organised by the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) where more than 90 secondary school students across the federation performed exceptionally well in mathematics were recognised and awarded.

Represented by Dr Collins Agu, the Director, Corporate Planning Strategy of NITDA, Inuwa said that emerging technologies were the future the country’s workforce and the country needed to prepare the young ones in that regard.

“It is important to review the curriculum of primary and secondary schools to have subjects that will help in inculcating future workforce and prerequisite skills needed to thrive in the 4IR by providing mathematical toolkits for the students.

“The greatest achievement of man is achieved through mathematics, while technologies like computers, Big Data Analytics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence etc, are innovations derived from mathematics,’’ Agu said.

He said that the continuous pursuit of the process would help to demystify mathematics, train and mentor more students on the subject.

The agency, however, donated the Inclusive Digital Economy Toolkit to NMC, a mother board designed in Nigeria to drive Smart City, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, among other emerging technologies.

He encouraged NMC to collaborate with NITDA in the area of Research and Development (R&D) in order to make a quantum leap in the technology and innovation ecosystem.

NMC revealed that the ceremony was aimed at encouraging more students to take on mathematics and own it, adding that many students had benefitted from the scheme in the past.