Remodeling Nigeria’s education to embrace digitization

The profile of education in Nigeria is one riddled with disappointment. The erosion of standards over the years has been a subject of resounding concern. What has brought increased scrutiny is the argument that education in Nigeria has never grown to any satisfactory record near the standard of the developed world. It therefore becomes troubling that even at such height of mediocrity which is incomparable with global best standards, the Country has most recently continued to fall from such average level of operations.

The introduction of technology into education system in the 21st Century is one subject which has pragmatically been utilised and optimised by the developed world to vitalise and enhance the workings of their educational architectures. The wobbling state of education in Nigeria echoes the absence of relevant and appreciable infrastructures. The narrative becomes more disheartening when the subject borders on infrastructures of technology in the Country’s educational system. The need to address matters of both physical edifice and technology infrastructural deficits is sine qua non.

However, the reality of new developments have come to show that more attention and priority are most recently directed towards building and developing technological infrastructures to meet the demands of “New Normals” in the developed world. The reality is therefore moving towards an epochal reorientation of a steady shift in paradigm to optimally exploit the use of technology to vitalise the channels of education. The change is thus moving towards downsizing traditional parameters and placing more premium on strengthening technological measures than emphasis on building physical edifice.

In the light of this new demand, the phenomenon of distance learning with the aid of technology has been embraced in the developed world to steadily give new prescriptions to channels of learning in their education system, with new patterns to move away from full reliance on the traditional physical system of class room traditions. The advantage of time, comfort, and volume of participants which distance learning with digital channels of technology offer is increasingly giving new working patterns to embellish educational system in the advanced world where the sensations of openness of reasons are allowed to thrive. The development of these patterns to permit for virtual processes in the learning system is significantly vitalising education with better experience for both ends of academic institutions and the learners who are the receivers.

The workings of virtual classes with the use of internet has over the years grown appreciably in the developed world with the experiences of the workings of distance learning. This phenomenon has however received strong reinforcement with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unfortunate event which is still ravaging the world, brought circumstances that frown against gathering in numbers particularly in an enclosed setting, which is typical of a traditional class room environment.  Since education is one crucial  necessity that is difficult to set aside, the processes of learning must continue, and since gathering in numbers holds a strong risk of an uncontrollable spread of the virus with a typical example of classroom setting, the necessity to sniff for an alternative means to sustain learning process within the education system is sine qua non. The move for an alternative to the physical classroom gathering becomes necessary and the most feasible and portent alternative which is very handy is indisputably the leverage on technology by digitising the learning process.

The experiences of the outcome of the shift to technology in the wave of the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic never caught the advanced world unawares, since the relevant infrastructures and exposure to the operational architectures are handy to them. However, it is apparent that the demands of the “New Normal” has caught Nigeria more unawares and unprepared. It is glaring that the Country is still grappling with the reality of the shift towards the new demands. While some institutions are making efforts to conform to the makings of the working processes of these patterns, the experiences so far has not been free of glitches. While the experience at the higher level of education within the workings of tertiary institutions may still be fair, the experience at the lower level of education particularly at the primary and secondary education levels, are very sour and distasteful. The records from public schools have been on the precipice, particularly with the experience recorded during the lockdown when the pressing need to keep students abreast was necessary. The absence of appreciable infrastructures required to drive the process and the low level exposure of pupils to technological devices were factors of concern.

In the light of this reorientation, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) on Monday declared its resolution to build digital schools across the Country. According to the Commission, the development would be in actualisation of its vision of a robust digital basic education delivery in Nigeria. In a  statement by the Commission’s Head, Public Relations and Protocol, David Apeh, it was disclosed that the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, over the weekend at the commissioning ceremony of basic education projects at the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, said the school will be purely digital with state of the art facilities for learning, adding that a digital resource centre is also being constructed in Abuja to coordinate digital learning in the basic education sub-sector. On completion, Bobboyi according to the statement, stressed that the facilities will put the sub-sector on the digital map of the world. He explained that UBEC has tried in the last four years to work with all stakeholders in the education sector to begin to change the narrative of basic education delivery in the Country.

The need for Nigeria to work in the light of the patterns of the ‘New Normal’ is crucial. It is paramount to shift and conform to the workings of new demands, particularly as required for the education system in the Country. The role of the Government in leading the reorientation cannot be over-emphasized. There is no other institution that should be at the vanguard of leading the train to comform to the ‘New Normal’ than the Government. The necessity to shift attention towards strengthening technological architectures within the education system in Nigeria is crucial. While the importance of physical edifice cannot be disputed, it is however more prudent in the light of new realities, to leverage more on the advantage and prudence that the use of technology offers. It is therefore paramount that the Government move in terms of new realities to fortify the education system in Nigeria through the channels of technology. Working in the patterns of shifting focus is paramount. From the lower to the higher level of education, it is essential for the Government to invest prudently to fix the required infrastructures to build a virile architecture that will drive the demands to vitalise Nigeria’s education through technology.