Twenty years ago, the best opportunity to fix the education system in Nigeria slipped through our fingers. Today, the need to modernise the nation’s education system is begging for attention.
As we stand at the threshold of the fourth industrial revolution, driven by information technology (artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, robotics), we must not let another moment pass without taking deliberate action.
Modernising Nigeria’s education system should be a collective effort, involving all stakeholders. Governments, the private sector, and communities must collaborate to make a deliberate attempt to enhance our educational framework, especially by incorporating essential IT tools.
The richness of content that can be accessed through technology can meet international standards, potentially improving education at a cost-effective rate.
Last weekend, I had the privilege of participating in a local education initiative known as IDRDG IT Launchpad in Ikorodu, Lagos. Our visionary chairman, former Senator Ogunlewe, a firm believer in education as a means of development, tasked me with contributing to an educational scheme that would have a meaningful impact.
We agreed that computer education, often overlooked in Nigerian public schools, should be the core of our intervention. Our goal was to lay the foundation that would spur high school students’ interest in IT careers, especially given the IT-driven nature of the future.
A rude awakening
However, my assumptions were shattered. I had believed that most high school students (SS1 to SS3) would already possess basic computer education. Shockingly, many students in SS1-3 lacked even hands-on experience with a computer.
They were only introduced to a computer for the first time during our programme, and many still lacked basic computing skills. This revelation was deeply troubling. If Lagos, Nigeria’s supposedly leading state in education, is far behind in providing quality educational tools, one can only imagine the dire situation in other states!
In many parts of the world, such a system is already in place. For instance, in India, various state governments have collaborated with IT companies to introduce digital literacy programmes.
These have fostered a generation of IT-skilled graduates, leading to a significant surge in technological innovation and economic development. In Africa, countries like Kenya have invested in initiatives such as the Digital Literacy Programme, aimed at integrating technology into classroom learning, equipping students with the essential skills required for the digital age.
Unfortunately, Nigeria, renowned as the biggest economy in Africa by GDP, has seen a dramatic contrast in its ranking in education. As of September 2021, Nigeria ranks only 15th in education, lagging behind countries such as Libya, Rwanda, and even Zimbabwe, according to the latest data from UNESCO and the World Bank. This striking disparity underscores the urgency for change.
Just to give us a better sense of how bad things are, especially in the public education system, even in a state like Lagos, some of the teachers I spoke with told me that even as educators, they don’t have a computer system or laptop assigned to them or provided by the state personally or shared for work-related research. If a teacher in this age and time doesn’t have an internet-ready computer they work with, one can only imagine the state of our public education today.
You can imagine how difficult it would be for Nigeria to compete globally on all fronts; this situation already explains where Nigeria stands in the 4th Industrial Revolution.
A call to action
I’m calling on all stakeholders, including the federal and state governments, private sectors, and educational institutions, to declare a state of emergency for education with a roadmap to address these issues urgently. The entire value chain of education in Nigeria must be IT-driven if we are not to be left behind in the fourth industrial
revolution.
The current state of our public education system is alarming. Even teachers lack access to essential tools like internet-ready computers. Without basic IT facilities, how can we expect Nigeria to compete globally?
The IT Launchpad Initiative
The IT Launchpad, an initiative of the Ikorodu Resource Group, provides a glimpse of what is possible. With a well-equipped tech hub boasting 70 internet-ready computer systems and a large interactive screen for e-learning, it is a month-long programme designed to introduce SS1-SS3 students to IT fundamentals.
This initiative underscores the myriad opportunities awaiting them in the IT sector and illustrates how much their future depends on IT skills. It’s a vital step, but more is needed to illuminate the vast opportunities awaiting them. Yet, without wider support,
these efforts may be insufficient.
We must recognise that the least we can do for the coming generation is to expose them to knowledge. This will lay the foundation for their liberation. Even if the governments fail on other basic infrastructure fronts, we shouldn’t fail on education.
Our education value chain must be IT-driven. It’s a lesson already learnt by countries such as India and Kenya, whose citizens are thriving in the global IT landscape.
Now is the time for Nigeria to take decisive action. Our position in the fourth industrial revolution and our children’s future depend on the steps we take today. The IT Launchpad is a commendable start, but we mustn’t stop there. All state governments should replicate these efforts across schools to ensure that the promise of education is fulfilled for every Nigerian child. The task is great, but the time to act is now.
.Abiodun is the Chief Executive Officer of ZKTeco West Africa, an affiliate of the globally renowned provider of biometric verification algorithm techniques, sensors and software platforms with multiple subsidiaries and R&D
centres across the world
