School owners and stakeholders in the education sector are racing against time to tackle the current reality of the new normal in the sector occasioned by the ravaging impact of coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted the global economy.
But amid this challenge, stakeholders in the sector say this pivotal industry can leverage technology across various levels to find home grown solutions to teaching and learning for millions of Nigerian children.
The experts, who spoke at the second edition of TOSSEtech dialogue webinar event organised by Edumark Consult with the theme, ‘Education and Technology: The Future is Here’ said the challenge facing education across the country is the lack of robust investment in technology.
They observed that the inability of some proprietors of educational institutions to see the venture as a business and incorporate technology into it, present a major drawback in creating solutions, solving problems and making impact.
Juliet Chiazor Ehimuan, country director, Google Nigeria, who emphasised on the theme, said the rise in technology has helped to expand our knowledge in every areas of life, transformed the way we live our lives, democratise the way we access information and the internet.
In her paper entitled, ‘Digital Transformation is the New Normal’, Ehimuan who was the Guest Speaker, said with technology, we can begin to expand our thinking and the way it can be used to transform education.
She emphasised on the ways technology can be used to enhance teaching to include; self-directed learning and remote instruction, productivity enhancement and workplace readiness.
According to her, “Self-directed learning and remote instruction allow us to customise learning, engage students beyond classroom and break barriers. Every business is looking at how to increase productivity and cost with technology. We can have virtual campuses where the number of students is unlimited, with that, we can save cost.
“Workplace readiness ensures that students have job ready skills set. There is an interplay that can be mutually beneficial preparing for the jobs of the future”.
For these solutions to be reliable, Ehimuan said there is a need for reliable telecoms infrastructure and for rural areas to have access to portable devices.
The Google Nigeria country director, further stress the need for collaboration among administrators and invest in e-learning and skills development, as well as reach out to other relevant stakeholders.
“Technology is the present and future, collaboration is key. Education is next in line to level growth, we can work together to be ahead of the game, “she said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Yinka Ogunde, director of Edumark Consult, said the country has found itself in a situation where technology must be fully utilised, adding that during the first edition of the programme held last year, the possibility of the impact of technology in terms of teacher /learners relationship was being discussed.
According to her, “When we held the first edition, we were talking about the possibility of technology and teachers not seeing their students when they are learning. Now, we are confronted with the reality and we must make the best use of it and continue to live our lives.”
In her keynote, Femi Ogunsanya, President, Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN) expressed delight about the online meeting unlike the usual physical one, while congratulating Ogunde for her diligence and enthusiasm about education.
“She has a mindset of making a difference. The fact that we are online has blown my mind,”she said.
Olufunke Amba, director, Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Oregun, Lagos, said the pandemic was a wakeup call, adding that the new currency for us as a nation is technology as we cannot afford to be complacent.
