Transforming Education in Nigeria Using IT

The 21^st century has been described, across the globe, as the age of information technology (IT). It is not surprising therefore that the deployment of IT and IT infrastructure now pervades every sector of human existence from health to business and even government. Today, the growth in technology and applications even in the field of education is becoming too big to be ignored.

Some say that educational technology is constantly stretching the educational boundaries and created new ones on a daily basis. One of these new and rapidly expanding boundaries is e-learning which is offering tremendous advantage to distance education.

Distance education, is considered the new, student-centred paradigm for future learning with the growth in distance education from correspondence courses using the mails system which have been around for more than 150 years to modern technologies delivery systems such as video teleconferencing, affordable personal computers and the World Wide Web.

In Nigeria, while is true that there is increasing awareness for the use of IT in teaching and learning, the level of adoption and effective use is still dismal, at best.

There are lots of schools without any IT equipment.

There are others with personal computers, locked away in some classrooms or storerooms in the schools almost like museum pieces. In some of these schools there is no teacher available to teach even the basics of how to use PCs. And in others, lack of power makes any meaningful teaching impossible.

Clearly, something needs to be done to change the state of things. The government cannot do it alone, the private sector therefore must pitch in.

Already there are lots of initiatives to boost IT in schools, as a first line and then to improve learning through assess to IT, going forward.

Currently, MTN Nigeria, Zinox Technologies, New Horizon, have several computer-in-school projects around the country. In addition, the Information Technology (industry) Association of Nigeria (ITAN), umbrella body for hardware firms in the country recently re-launched its the popular computer –in-school initiative.

Interestingly, the government, itself, has the country a number of initiatives such as: National Policy on Computer Education; establishment of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the ICT4D project among others.

Evidently, the objective at this time is to get the private and public sectors to work together, to collaborate and cooperate.

If the experts are to be heeded, going forward, part of the National IT initiative may be as follows:

To increase the amount of, and access to up- to- date ICT equipment to schools (i.e. developing the infrastructure through fund for ICT and buildings in schools and learning centres;

to improve resources available, particularly online, to support classroom work (i.e. resources and school-based support); and to enhance staff skills and use of IT to deliver the curriculum and in staff development.

The truth is that effective use of technology must be supported by significant investments in hardware, software, infrastructure, professional development, and support services, all over a long-term period.

The government must provide the necessary impetus for this sort of activity. And since IT improves the learning experience, it can revolutionise education.