BY DAYO ADESULU
Professionals in the education sector have unanimously agreed on the need to deploy technology to address the myriads of challenges crippling educational development in Nigeria.
This was the submission of the panellists at the July edition of EdTech Monday, an initiative of Mastercard Foundation in partnership with CcHub Limited aimed at facilitating critical conversations on the use of technology for teaching and learning. The panellists included Professor of Science Education, University of Lagos, Prof. Uchenna Udeani, an award-winning public school teacher, Soji Megbowon and Practice Lead, Education, CcHub Limited Nissi Madu.
Speaking at the virtual event, titled ‘Top Education Challenges Technology Can Address’, Professor Uchenna Udeani noted that technology has become invaluable in tracking the learning process and has helped enrich the teaching and learning experience.
“Technology helps access teaching aids and opens the door to a plethora of information while combining digital savvy and internet connectivity to achieve these”, Udeani said.
Udeani further stated that the advent of technology will contribute in no small measure to address the challenge associated with the infrastructural gap in schools. Using UNILAG as a case study, she said with technology, the issue around impersonation during examinations has been drastically reduced.
In his remarks at the virtual event, the award-winning teacher, Soji Megbowon noted that technology plays a vital role in addressing the menace of examination malpractice, which has become rampant in secondary and tertiary institutions.
Megbowon noted that the transition from paper-based tests to computer-based tests by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has helped reduce the incidence of exam malpractice and its negative influence in the education sector.
He stressed that technology has become crucial for teachers, particularly teachers in rural communities, given the number of training opportunities that abound in the digital space. He cited examples of the Lagos State government’s teacher training programme in partnership with Microsoft during the lockdown.
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Also speaking at the event, the Practice Lead, Education, CcHub Limited, Nissi Madu affirmed that technology remains a great enabler that helps facilitate continuous professional development for teachers adding that with digital tools, teachers in rural communities can have access to the skills they need to grow and learn.
She revealed that 1,000 teachers were trained on WhatsApp during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
She noted that technology has helped teachers connect and collaborate to share their peculiar challenges and solutions.“
“I think one key thing technology can provide us with is analytics and insights into how well students are learning and the areas they are struggling with, this will enable teachers to know where to target interventions. That way, it is a lot easier to create personalized learning for students and track their journey and growth, ” she said.
