solution to the problems of educational technology in nigeria

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11 educational technology solutions in nigeria empowering learners.

Educational technology has the power to revolutionize education in developing countries by increasing access, quality, equity, and efficiency of education. Here are four more ways that edutech can revolutionize primary and secondary education systems in Nigeria:

• EdTech can expand access to education for millions of children and youth who are out of school due to poverty, conflict, disability, or other barriers. For example, radio, TV, online platforms, and mobile devices can deliver educational content to remote or marginalized areas where schools are scarce or unsafe.
• ICT4Edu can improve quality of education by providing teachers with new tools and resources to enhance their pedagogy and professional development. For example, digital libraries, interactive software, online courses, and peer networks can help teachers access relevant curriculum materials, update their knowledge and skills, and share best practices.
• EdTech can promote equity of education by addressing the diverse needs and preferences of learners with different backgrounds, abilities, languages, or learning styles. For example, adaptive software, assistive devices, multilingual content, and gamified apps can help learners with special needs, low literacy levels, minority languages, or low motivation to engage in personalized learning experiences that suit their pace and interests.
• ICT4Edu can enhance efficiency of education by reducing costs, saving time, and increasing productivity of educational systems. For example, cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain can help educational managers and policymakers to streamline administrative processes, monitor performance indicators, optimize resource allocation, and ensure transparency and accountability.

11 EduTech Solutions in Nigeria

Edutech entrepreneurs in Nigeria are leveraging the country’s large population and determination for better learning opportunities to develop commercial educational technology solutions. We’ve found 11 companies that you should be following:

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Bridge International Academies operates high-quality low-cost private schools that use technology to deliver standardized curriculum and monitor student progress. It launched in Nigeria in 2015 and currently runs over 60 schools in Lagos and Osun states.

eLimu creates interactive and engaging apps and online tools for students, teachers, and parents in Nigeria that are customized to the African context and aligned with the national curriculum.

Gradely is a personalized learning platform that empowers educators and parents to make a difference in their ward’s learning outcomes and produce more globally-competitive learners. Over 3,500 teachers and 44,000 students use Gradely today.

Kodamind inspires young Nigerian minds through the beauty of code. Kodamind programs are focused on using CS-STEM Concepts, Practices and Pedagogy to develop computational thinking and demystify coding, automation and robotics education in Africa.

FlexiSAF EduSoft provides software solutions for schools and education management systems, such as school administration, student records, fee collection, learning management, and teacher training for over 700 educational institution clients.

Passnownow allows primary and secondary school students and teachers to get access to a digitized curriculum for self-studying and peer-to-peer collaborative learning. It also prepares learners for exams like JSCE, WAEC, NECO, and JAMB.

ScholarX provides digital and affordable education to low-income earners in Africa through its mobile learning platform LearnAM, which offers content in local languages such as Pidgin English, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo and reached over 20,000 students across Nigeria.

Tuteria connects students with qualified private tutors in their area. Founded by Godwin Benso, the solution helps learners master academic subjects, prepare for exams and learn skills like music and photography.

uLesson was founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneur, Sim Shagaya. The mobile app curates curriculum-relevant, educational content targeted at students in grades K-12 and learners preparing for Nigeria’s WAEC and NECO examinations.

Utiva is developing talents for the future of work with fellowships to help adult learners master tech skills like Digital Marketing, Data Science, Data Analysis, Product Manager, and UI/UX Designer and gain job-ready expertise for the careers of the future.

Veda is an all-in-one cloud-based school & colleges software with mobile and web platform to run virtual education organizations. The end-to-end system helps educational institutions manage operations, finance, student, and teacher data. It is available on both iOS and Android.

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Nigeria’s Educational Challenges

• First Online: 29 April 2020

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• Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob 3 &
• Margee Ensign 3  

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Education is the foundation upon which any society is built. In our globalized and technological world, national wealth and global survival is increasingly based on knowledge, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This economic prosperity is especially true when women become educated: societies are transformed. When women are educated, families are smaller and healthier.

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Jacob, JU., Ensign, M. (2020). Nigeria’s Educational Challenges. In: Transactional Radio Instruction. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32369-1_2

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How tech is disrupting the education sector in Nigeria

Nigeria | Education

As economies transition away from traditional learning methods and the characteristics of job markets evolve, education technology (edtech) can help countries achieve efficiency and effectiveness in school management. With widespread resource shortages in schools across the country, Nigeria stands to make significant gains from digital methodologies in order to raise the quality and productivity of education.

Internet Access

There are significant challenges in offering internet coverage to populations throughout Africa, and Nigeria is no exception. Internet penetration at the beginning of 2022 stood at 51%, up from nearly 29% in 2018. However, while significant gains have been made regarding penetration levels, geographical inequities exist in telecommunication network coverage. According to a February 2022 report by the Alliance for Affordable Internet, 12.1% of the population had access to steady and fast internet, with 16.4% in urban areas and 6.6% in rural areas.

Comprehensive internet coverage remains a challenge, as 4G coverage was available to 37% of the population as of May 2022, and download speeds are slower than countries in similar income brackets. In terms of mobile subscriptions – which reached more than 60% of the population as of 2020, or 700m people across the continent – the penetration rate in Nigeria was 37.3% in 2022, with projections it will reach 48% by 2027.

Emerging Businesses

Nigeria is a major player in the African education technology (edtech) start-up space, accounting for 28% of the more than 200 such start-ups across the continent as of April 2022. Tutoring, language services, monitoring and addressing children’s’ learning gaps, and virtual video tools are some of the digital solutions found in the market. These have helped to improve teaching methods, student learning outcomes, and school and fee management.

Digital literacy is an increasingly important skill in the labour market. Virtual learning enables students and teachers to interact when in-person assistance is not possible. Indeed, edtech can enable collaborative learning through video, images and adaptive education applications. “Nigeria’s youth is driven to succeed. They go out of their way to look for knowledge and skills, for example learning coding and data analytics in order to self develop,” Chinedum Peace Babalola, vice-chancellor of Chrisland University, told OBG.

Lessons drawn from the Covid-19 pandemic have raised the profile of edtech solutions to save costs and increase efficiency in schools. The health crisis redefined digital education, with the edtech segment transforming delivery through virtual classrooms, online content solutions, mobile and cloud technologies, and hardware such as interactive whiteboards and in-classroom tablets for students.

Practical Solutions

In order to provide students with the appropriate skills to fully leverage improved methods and technologies, it will be important for the government to support more collaboration between the private sector and educational institutions. While progress has been most visible in private institutions, the digitalisation of students’ learning experience in public schools across different levels has drawn the attention of public authorities.

The government has called for the private sector to help bridge this technological gap, and multiple startups, non-governmental organisations and private firms are working towards this change. For example, Nigerian edtech start-up uLesson, which launched in March 2020, allows students to take lessons and tests via a mobile app, and universities such as Lagos State University and the American University of Nigeria have created e-learning alternatives for students at home. Meanwhile, in May 2021 the Lagos State government began distributing 1m ICT devices to secondary school pupils and tech-teaching instruments to 15,000 teachers in public primary schools to bridge the digital divide, with the government stressing the necessity of partnership with corporate individuals and local companies.

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Problems and Prospects of Educational Technology in Nigeria

In this post we will look at the Problems and Prospects of Educational Technology in Nigeria. This article is relevant for educational managers, policy makers as well as researchers to find lasting solution to problems facing educational technology in Nigeria.

The role of educational technology in today’s world cannot be underestimated, given its impacts in information and communication technologies. In recent times, through internet for instance, open and distant education has been made possible, where one can be in a particular place within the globe and access education from anywhere.

This development however, validated the fact that education is the fundamental human rights, and so education is a must to any individual who hope to make sense out of life. Educational technology has made learning and teaching easy through the application of modern educational technology.

There is so much about educational technology – this involves the modern method of teaching and learning, modern methods of using instructional facilities, as well as strategies in organizing academic work. At the turn of this age, computer was used as a tutor that gives instruction. It also directs the user.

However, computers, being the tools for educational technology are limited in Nigerian schools; many schools in the country are still using the traditional approach to teaching and learning.

Taking a look at the traditional way of teaching and learning, one will noticed that, the teacher will have enough time interacting with the students, sometimes at a point the students will get bored, and this of course make learning drudging.

In most times too, the teacher will fail to recognize the difference in intelligent quotients of students, and may be tempted to want to impart knowledge to all the students in the class at the same frequency. This practice has indeed hampered the learning ability of a child hence, made the effort of the teacher, who tried to impart knowledge futile.

Read Also: 5 Tips to Improve Nigerian Education

The meaning of Educational Technology

Educational technology is a methodical way of relating up-to-date technology to education with a view to improve or make the quality of education worthwhile.

Interestingly, the advent of educational technology has proffer solution to most of these challenges. With the use of educational technology, a child can independently study the learning material, and possibly go through again to other topics that were not clear to him at first.

This development has helped tracked students’ progress in learning. Education and technology need a clear definition however, but there should be more acceptable meaning of educational technology hence, my definition of educational technology as deduced from renowned authorities.

Problems of Educational Technology in Nigeria

1. lack of leadership.

The issue of leadership has been one of the major problems hampering the improvement of educational technology in Nigeria. The leaders, though leading without vision still find it difficult to sit together and device measures that will help the facilitators to use technology in teaching and learning.

Where there is no vision, according to an ancient adage, ‘people are restrained’ is a clear demonstration of the level at which, those assigned with the responsibility leadership are restrained from effecting the statutory obligation that guides the implementation of the full scale of educational technology in Nigeria.

Read Also: Problems and Prospects of Open and Distance Education in Nigeria

2. Lack of training for facilitators

Training, as a way of updating the knowledge of the teachers in current modern technology has not been taking into consideration. So with this backdrop teachers find it difficult to see the potency of technology in education.

No teacher under this new digital age can really undertake teaching efficiently without subsequent training programs, and continuous upkeep by the relevant authorities.

So lack of effective application of technology in teaching and learning in schools has made educational technology very challenging in Nigeria.

3. Lack of proper mind set

Lack of proper mind set on the part of the students is another major problem faced in the course of integrating technology into teaching and learning in Nigerian schools.

The question as to whether students have appreciated technology in education is a great task. This however, stresses the important of technology authorities having the teachers in mind, while assembling technology facilities, such that will stimulates students’ appreciation of technology in education for easy assimilation as presented by the teacher.

Read Also: Problems and Prospects of Education in Nigeria

Prospects of Educational Technology in Nigeria

1. improvement of knowledge assimilation:.

The new development of integrating technology into education has brought about great and tremendous improvement to the impartation and assimilation of information.

This is a laudable development since it is able to provide more understanding about the means of making teaching and learning more effective and appreciative with the application of modern technology.

2. Enhanced computer skill

The new development has ensured enhancement of computer skills among the students, as well as ‘determining measures’ of ascertaining the level of learning and commitment to learning on the part of the student hence, has improved the quality of students’ performances.

3. Improve education standard

The educational technology has help addressed some of the problems of education, as students showed enormous interest in learning this new sophisticated skill, which has indeed help in improving their standard of learning and assimilation of knowledge. The development has also help in raising standard of preparing students in their individual areas of interest.

Read Also: Problems and Prospects of Teacher’s Education in Nigeria

Conclusion and Suggestion

The new age has brought about the new way of teaching and learning. The age is called the information age. With the advent of educational technology in Nigeria, the children of the new generation are motivated and inspired to work with the new development.

They are poised to make a different in education. It a new way of learning that will help a child acquires skills and knowledge through the application of modern educational techniques.

That is why this aspect of teaching and learning should be included into the school curriculum. And I am rest assure that with the introduction of educational technology in the Nigerian schools, there is going to be an eruption of new way of acquiring skills and knowledge particularly, on the internet.

However, if this new development should be sustained in Nigerian schools, there is therefore a question as to whether teachers’ knowledge have been updated to appreciate the application of educational technology in teaching and in receiving knowledge. If not, there is need for teachers in this digital age to be trained in order to appreciate, and embrace the use of modern technology in teaching.

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34 Issues, Challenges And Prospects In The Use Of Educational Technology For Instructional Delivery In The Management Of 21st University Education In Nigeria

Ominini Brother Asako Walson, Ph.D and Jennifer Ngozi Blessing Okanu-Igwela, Ph.D

Instructional delivery is expected to bring about a well-organized and gradual development or modification of knowledge, attitudes, and skills on the learners. The traditional face-to-face classroom based instruction with an instructor seem not to bring about the significant flexibility offered by the use of Educational Technology (ET) for the creative, innovative and professionally fulfilled workforce in the 21st century. Using (ET) to meet international best practices in instructional delivery cannot be void of challenges and issues in Nigeria as a developing Country. In a bid to give credence to the applicability Educational Technology, this paper critically examine basic issues, challenges and prospects in the use of Educational Communication Technologies in instructional delivery in the management of University Education in Nigeria for an all-round development in the behavior of the learner for global competiveness. This paper referred to Educational Technologies as the ICT-enabled devices used for instructional delivery to enhance learners’ performance. Basic issues related to the use of Educational Technologies like: Digital culture and literacy, ICT and teacher professional development, effectiveness, resource constrained context, cost, equity, and sustainability, were discussed. Challenges related to: infrastructure, capacity building, and finance were considered. The paper concluded that the use of Educational Technologies offers flexibility in instructional delivery, promotes self-study, creativity and innovative thinking, as well as empowers the leaner to be self-reliant in line with the philosophy of Nigerian education.

Keywords:   Information Communication Technology (ICT), Educational Technologies (ECT), Instructional delivery, Education, University, Challenges, Prospects, Management.

Introduction

The digital age has increasingly ushered in the growing need for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) application in all facets of life.  In fact, technology is now the in-thing and it is penetrating every nook and cranny of human existence. No wonder Akabogu (2006) stated that the computer technology will remain a key component to almost everything one does in this 21st century. The use of modern technology is not left out in classroom instruction. In the classroom, the usual instructor-learner based approach (face-to-face) is gradually changing with the advent of ICT to collaborative learning or e-learning environment where learners interact with learning materials, their instructors and other learners from various locations at different times using network technologies in an online environment.  An innovation in the Information age of the 21st century is the use of Educational Technologies in the classroom for instructional delivery. This involves the use of appropriate educational technologies like smart boards, computers, and projectors and other projected materials to facilitate learning and improve performance. These technologies are used in education to assist students learn more effectively by providing teachers with access to a wide range of new pedagogy.  The use of Educational Technologies according to Adaka (2010), provides assistive technology and bring to mind high-technology (hi-tech) devices which its application in the classroom enhance meeting the needs of all categories of learners by stimulating their interest, arousing their curiosity, and raising standards to improve attainment by using self-paced individualized and interactive material to increase retention.

Some of the major goals of University Education according to the National Policy on Education (2014) is: intensifying and diversifying its programmes for the development of high level manpower within the context of the needs of the nation, and inculcating physical and intellectual skills on the learners to enable them be self-reliant and useful members of the society. Premised on the foregoing, the use of Educational Communication Technology (ECT) in instructional delivery in University education is hoped to generate a professional workforce and fulfilled citizens endowed with skills in the use of modern technologies in the 21st century to be self-reliant.  It is also believed that the use of Educational Technology (ECT) in hardwares and softwares like: computers, instructional Aids projectors, video clips  and models according to Cope and  Ward (2002), will provide positive effect on learners achievement, and makes teaching  and learning more effective.

In the management of University education in the 21st century, information and media literacy is a key pointer to ensure that students possess the ability to recognize when information is needed, be able to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively, critically explore the media which is a major information source, while also being able to efficiently and creatively produce representations in a variety of media (Emeke, 2018). That is to say that students utilizing 21st century skills, through the use of Educational Technology should be able to engage with global issues, learn and work collaboratively with individuals from diverse cultures, communities, religions, ideologies, and lifestyles in an environment of openness and mutual respect.

Studies in media and ICT in education particularly on the integration of digital media in education has identified areas in which Educational Technology (ECT) are used in instructional delivery to enhance teaching and learning (Condle & Munro, 2007).  According to the authors, from the beginning, research has been centered on audio-vidual media, but given the development of other technologies, and particularly, the inclusion of computer in classroom instruction, the impact of ET has been felt.  Achieving global feet in the use of Educational Technology (ET) cannot be void of issues and challenges in University education in Nigeria as a developing country. Critical pointers to the effective use of Educational Technology are the challenges to their effective utilization in instructional delivery. It is against this background that the need to properly examine issues and challenges visa-a-vis the prospects in the use of Educational Technology for instructional delivery in the management of 21st century university education in Nigeria is necessary. In line with this objective, this paper discuss the concept of Educational Technology, Components of ECT, Concept of Instructional delivery, Management of University Education in Nigeria, Issues, challenges, and prospects in the use of Educational Technology in instructional delivery.

Concept of Educational Technology

Educational Technology is the application of technological media to facilitate teaching and learning. It is also considered as the use of technological tools for exploring knowledge, support learning by construction to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning (Januszewski, 2001). The Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AECT, 1977) describe Educational Technologies as complex, integrated process involving people, procedures, idea, devices and organization, for analyzing problems, devising, implementing, and evaluating teaching and learning. In another dimension, Wodi (2012) stated that Educational Technology  include various techniques of shaping behavior applied to material use on audio records, computers, and video disk which increases the overall impact in teaching and learning that takes place in the classroom.  Aziz, (2010) described Educational Technology as the application of  appropriate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, which facilitate learning by stimulating the sensory, and cognition to enhance of the learner. It has a multi-faceted nature comprising a cyclical process using an a collection of tools (both physical and conceptual), and a multiple-node relationship between learners and facilitators of instruction, as well as between learners themselves.  This definition according to Aziz has five components namely: Considered application, appropriate tools, techniques, or processes, facilitates the application of senses, memory, and congnition, enhance teaching practices, and improve learning outcome. Educational Technology therefore involves the application of ICT facilities in the teaching and learning which stimulates learners’ interest, and promotes self-paced learning. These technologies involve numerous media that deliver text, audio, images animation, streaming video, satellite TV, CD-ROM, and computer-based learning, as well as local intranet/extranet and web-based learning techniques. Examples are: computers, projectors, radio, tape recorders chart, television, films, interactive video, teletex & videotex, web-based technologies, and so on.

The rationale in the use of Educational Technology is to provide valuable help in the teaching-learning process for achieving the best possible results in an economic way through the available human and non-human resources.  In addition, special needs programs that help learners with disabilities use educational technologies to enhance learning by integrating technology into education were educators engender pedagogical change and address fundamental issues that affect learners with special needs.  The use of Educational Technology place high demand on learners who have to be more proactive and disciplined than in the traditional face-to-face education. Furthermore, the use of Educational Technology removes barriers to achievement by providing new creative ways of motivating and engaging learners of all abilities to attain their educational potential with ease.  It also enhances access to variety of learning resources, promotes collaborative learning, provides multimedia approach to education, and facilitates distance education. Educational Technology is classified into four basic components.

Components of Educational Technology

Educational Technology according to Shahid (2017) is classified into the following four components: methods, materials, media, and man power.

Methods:  This is concern with the use of devices in softwares such as programmed learning, team  teaching, micro-teaching, personalized system of instruction in teaching learning instruction.

Materials: These include instructional materials such as programmed materials which could either be handwritten or typed.

Media:  this involves the use of audio, or visual, or audio-visual. Examples are radio, tape recorder charts, films, televisions, projectors and video tapes etc.

Man power: Manpower refers to the human resources that uses educational technologies to enhance   teaching and learning. They include: programmers, technicians, content developers, Educational technology without man is zero.

Educational technologies are further classified into Hardwares and softwares (Frederick, 2015).

Hardwares refers to all the physical components or the mechanical materials and equipment such as projectors, computers, boards of different kinds, writing materials of different types, teaching machine, and so on that are used in education for enhanced teaching and learning.  Hardware instructional aids projectors for instance is an effective projective equipment helpful for projecting slides, pictures graphs, maps, diagrams in an enlarged view for better understanding in the subject. A computer or the other hand is a hardware device is a machine that is able to take (input), and process them to (output) as information.  According to Okure (2008), the computer is helpful in providing both audio visual aid at the same time.  It is easy to use with little guidance from an instructor. The use of these hardware materials in education for teaching and learning is known as hardware approach.

Softwares on the other hand refer to all programmed instruction in CD’s, principles, rules, text and other web-based instruction used for teaching and learning. For example, a video clip is software with programme information. The use of the principles of software development and the psychology of learning in educational technology is known as software approach.  The use of the various components of educational technology enhances effective instructional delivery in the school system.

Concept of instructional delivery

Instructional delivery has to do with what the teacher does to promote or direct teaching and learning in a particular subject in a school.  This according to Mgbodile (2004), involves the task of ensuring that organized teaching and learning is effective in the classroom.  This is done by the teacher through effective planning of the lesson by preparation of lesson notes, gathering of teaching Aids, employment of teaching strategies and timely use those equipment to coincide with the teaching. Paulias and Young (1996) described instructional delivery as a means of guiding learners in securing the amount and quality of experience which will promote the optimum development of their potentials as human beings. Logan and Logan cited in Agina-Obu & Onwugbuta-Enyi, (2017) described instructional delivery as a creative process which involves an imaginative person, who utilizes prior experiences, combines material, methods, ideas, and media in new and existing ways which help learners integrate learning and reinforce concepts.  Instruction delivery and teaching are synonymous according to Agina-Obu & Onwugbuta-Enyi, 2017) since they require a teacher to get all the necessary things to make teaching and learning more meaningful to make a change in others so as to be more meaningful in wherever they find themselves.

The teacher ensures that meaningful learning takes place in all classroom and they are undertaking the teaching in a manner that the students understand and enjoy their lessons.  Haruna (2008) noted that instructional delivery is the first and the most important responsibility of a school teacher. No wonder Carter (2008) explained that the cardinal index of the performance evaluation of the school administrator rests on the leadership ability in instructional supervision.  Similarly, Chika and Ebeke (2007) observed that among many factors that influence learners’ achievement in schools, teachers instructional delivery seem to be the most critical intervening factor.  The purpose of instructional delivery is to produce learning.  That is a sustained change in the behavior of the learner.  This is because, as teaching proceeds, the teacher gives instruction, sometimes he indoctrinates, he trains the learner, initiates him into something new, sometimes through the process of socialization, he is involved and makes the learner participate in the process of adaption.  These educational processes of instructing, indoctrinating, training, initiating and adapting are all embedded in the teaching and learning process aimed at bringing about a change in the behavior of the learner.  The learning that takes place as a result of instructional delivery might generally be geared towards the development in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of the learner (Paulias & Young, 1996). It implies that effective instructional delivery is geared towards a well-organized and gradual development and/or modification of knowledge, attitude, and skills in the learner.

Effective instructional delivery plays an important role in all forms of activities in the school and the public as teachers strive to achieve high expectations, by acknowledging individual difference, encouraging learners’ responsibilities, using a range of pedagogies, providing a safe environment, monitoring progress and providing feedback, and building positive relationships, with a good mastery of their teaching content (Sharyn, 2014).  In achieving effectiveness in instructional delivery, the teacher is expected to be creative with appropriate pedagogical skills. Arreola, Theall and Aleamoni (2003) identified five basic skills necessary for effective teaching namely: content expertise, instructional design skills, instructional delivery skills, instructional assessment skills, and course management skills.

Content expertise (subject specialty knowledge) means having full knowledge of the subject matter or course for effective delivery. It is needed for effective instructional delivery to enable the teacher have full control in the dissemination of ideas and concepts for the learners understanding and appreciation. Instructional design skills are required to enable the teacher balance up objective in such a way that the culture of the learner, his individuality, freedom and life-long education are incorporated. This will also make the stated objectives both teacher-and-learner oriented. Instructional delivery skills enable the teacher to make the best choices and use of appropriate material for each topic for simple explanation of complex concepts. Instructional assessment skills are those required for proper questioning and evaluation of learners’ outcome during and after the teaching and learning process. While course management skills are skills required for the development of good relationship between the teacher and the learner in the learning environment (that is humanity skills), and those needed to create an atmosphere of efficiency of the teachers and learners time, efforts and energies (organizational skills).

Proper utilization of these skills according to Walson & Nnokan (2017), enables the teacher to strive to motivate and engage all learners rather than simply accepting that some students cannot be engaged and are destined to do poorly. They believe every student is capable of achieving success at school by conscious application of necessary pedagogical skills as teachers also do all they can to find ways of making each student successful in the teaching and learning process. It also implies that proper acquisition and utilization these skills in instructional delivery will enhance the management of higher education in Nigeria  as stipulated in the National Policy on Education (2014) “that all teachers in tertiary institutions shall be required to undergo training in methods and techniques of teaching”.

Management of 21st century University Education in Nigeria through effective Instructional delivery

Management involves utilization of human and material resource to achieve set goals. Universities are established to provide education to students who have attained Post-Basic education with the aim of inculcating relevant high level manpower training to contribute to national development. The National Policy on Education (2014) described University education as education given to the learner after secondary education in universities to acquire both physical and intellectual skills which will enable individuals to be self-reliant and useful members of the society.   Emeke (2018) described University education “as that education that forms a critical component of human development worldwide, not just the next level in the learning process, but that which provides high-level training necessary for every sphere of the labour market, be it in the training needed for the skill development of all professionals that drive local economics, support civil societies lead effective government, and make important decisions which affect entire societies”.

University education should be managed effectively through the utilization of human and material resources. These resources must be in the right quality and quantity to given the necessary support needed in the system. The human resource include: the students, personnel (non-academic staff, and academic staff). The material resources include: infrastructural facilities such as classrooms, offices, furniture & fittings), and, Instructional materials or teaching Aids. Universities in the 21st century should be managed for qualitative inclusiveness, having teachers who can use technologies that enhance learning in the implementation of a curriculum that is broad based, diverse, innovative, and creative.

Quality university education in the 21st century will also require excellent teachers (lecturers) who have the academic freedom and the institutional support for professional development in the use of educational technologies in the delivery of instruction.  Otonko (2012) noted that the University requires highly skilled lecturers with the resources and opportunity to stay current in their respective field and to develop the most effective method for teaching their subject matter. It is expected that lecturers should be digitally literate and trained to use ICT.  This approach can lead to higher order thinking skills, provide creative approach to teaching and leave students better prepared to deal with ongoing technological change in society and the work place.

University education in the 21st century should incorporate technology that enhances learning since the internet is already revolutionized teaching and learning in universities and the wider world. A university education which involves the development of high-level skills through instructional delivery using modern technology in digital formats makes assessment, critique, and expression easier and faster.

The curriculum for a 21st century university education should be broad and diverse to incorporate technological application since career is being replaced by technology in order not to produce obsolete graduates. A university that has narrowly trained its graduates will confer on them the misfortunes of the 19th century were artisans who saw their skilled work taken over by mechanized factories of the 20th century.  Universities that provide access to broad general education and skills using Educational Technologies give their graduates the strength to be lifelong learners who will be more flexible in adjusting to the rapidly emerging shifts in the job market.

In management of universities in this 21st century, the pursuit of effectiveness in instructional delivery in the classroom should not neglect the use of Educational Technologies that appeals to the various domain of learning since instructional delivery is the pivot for instilling the requisite skills in the learner to fit into a society that is technologically driven. Agina-Obu and Onwugbuta-Enyi, (2017) noted that every educational institution must be able to design and delive instructional experiences in such a way that there is some assurance that learning will occur when learners engage the activity. The subject matter must be presented in a way that thrills the learners’ interest and encourages them to learn through the use of educational technologies.  Similarly, the course design and implementation must provide learners with meaningful feedback on their progress in mastering the material. To achieve the expected feet in producing competitive workforce, universities must train and re-train the teachers on ICT to acquire the necessary skills on technological application. Universities must also consider topical issues in the use of educational technologies in the delivery of instruction.

Issues in the use of ET in instructional delivery

Schools use diverse set of ICT tools to communicate, create disseminate, store and manage information. As an aspect of ICT, the use of Educational Technologies has also become integral to the teaching–learning process. Through such approaches chalkboards are replaced with interactive digital whiteboards, and other devices for learning in the classroom where students watch lectures at home on the computer and use classroom time for more interactive time. In applying these advanced technologies, certain issues must be considered to enhance effectiveness in their uses in instructional delivery especially in a developing country like Nigeria. Some of the Issues University must consider in the use of Educational Technologies according to  Tinio (2002), are: digital culture & literacy, ICT and teacher professional development, global awareness, investment benefits in ICT, resource constrain context, effectiveness, cost, equity, and sustainability.

• Digital culture, literacy & divide: Computer technologies and other aspects of digital culture have changed the way people live, work, play, and learn around the world.  The skills of searching for, discerning, and producing information, as well as the use of new media for full participation in society, has thus become an important consideration for curriculum framework. Digital divide is concern with the disparities of digital media and internet access both within and cross countries as well as the gap people with and without the digital literacy and skills to utilize media and internet. Those who are less familiar with digital culture are increasingly at a disadvantage in the national and global economy.  Policies to bridge this divide to bring media, internet and digital literacy to all students in higher education are encouraged. In many countries, digital literacy is being built through the incorporation of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools. In Nigeria, there are recent clamor to make internet a separate subject in schools (Eleke, 2019).
• ICT and teacher professional development:  Teachers need specific professional development opportunities in order to increase their abilities to use ICT and media technologies for formative learning, assessments, individualized instruction, accessing online resources, and fostering students’ interaction and collaboration.  Such ICT training according to Ogbenevwogaga & Ogbenevwogaga (2006), should positively impact on teachers’ general attitude towards the use of Educational Communication Technologies in classroom as well as provide specific guidance on ICT teaching and learning within each discipline.  Without this support, teachers tend to use ICT for skill-based applications, thereby limiting students’ thinking. While giving teachers the necessary support as they change their teaching, it is also essential for education managers. supervisors, teacher educators, and decision makers to be trained in ITC use (Richmond, 2002).
• Resource constrain context:  The cost of using Educational Communication Technologies  in in classrooms, training of teachers and administrators, connectivity, technical support, and software among others is very expensive. Therefore, while planning for the use of ICT in classroom, policies poised to establish infrastructure that can sustainable them is important.
• Ensuring benefits in ICT Use: To ensure that the benefits in the use of Educational Communication Technologies for student are maximized, the following additional conditions according to Kajetanowtez (2010),  must be met: school policies need to provide schools with minimum acceptable infrastructure for ICT, including stable  internet connectivity and security measures such as filters and sites blockers; teachers policies for basic ICT literacy skills; ICT use in pedagogical setting, and discipline specific uses; integration of ICT in the curriculum; and developing digital content needs in local languages to reflect local culture.
• Global awareness: The emphasis here according to Emeke (2018), is to ensure that students are able to be equipped with 21st century skills in the use of Educational Communication Technologies, and other ICT-enabled devices to be able to engage with global issue, learn from and work collaboratively with individuals from diverse cultures, communities, religions, ideologies, in an environment of openness and mutual respect.
• Effectiveness: The educational effectiveness in the use of Educational Communication Technologies depends on how they are used and for what purpose.  Like every other educational tool used for instructional delivery, the use of Educational Communication Technologies do not work for everyone, everywhere, and in the same way. Effectiveness could be viewed in the terms of enhancing access, and raising quality.
• Enhancing Access:  This is viewed on the background of how many students can easy access and uses these media technologies on individualized basis in the learning process to enable them understand and apply the knowledge so gained in similar instances. The digital divide among students during their schooling influences their employable chances in the world of works and reinforces socio-economic inequalities in the society.
• Raising quality: The influence of Educational Communication Technologies in classroom instructional delivery according to Fouls (2002) suggests an improved quality of education in contemporary times in Nigeria.  Findings in a study carried out by the author provide strong evidence of effectiveness in raising the quality of education as demonstrated by increased scores on standardized tests as well as improved attendance in the use of ICT technologies in the classroom. However, contrast to Fouls findings, assessments of the use of computers, the internet and related technologies for distance learning have been equivocal.  Russell  (1999) in his comprehensive review of research claims that there is “significant difference” between the test scores of learners taking ICT-based distance learning courses and those receiving face-face- instruction. The emphasis is how best to use Educational Communication Technologies to enhance instructional delivery for quality education in Nigerian Higher Education.
• Cost: The cost of using Educational Communication Technologies and related media technologies in instructional delivery is relatively expensive compared to the traditional face-to-face classroom teaching and learning. In the use of Educational Communication Technologies and other ITC facilities in the teaching and learning process, both fixed and variable cost must be considered. Fixed cost does not vary over a period of time. It involves the initial cost like: construction or Retrofitting of physical facilities, purchase of equipment, initial material production, hardware and networking, software, and upgrade and replacement.  The variable or current cost varies with time. This includes cost of professional development of personnel to be compliant with the models for instructional delivery, connectivity, including internet access maintenance and support, as well as utilities and supplies.  Esoswo (2011) noted that in order to determine cost efficiencies, fixed cost must be distinguished from variable costs, and the balance between the two understood. If the fixed costs of a technology project are high and its variable costs are low, then there will be cost advantages to scaling up.  This according to Esoswo is the case of general educational technologies used for instructional delivery. However, Tinio (2002) explained that a common mistake in estimating the cost of a particular educational application is to focus too much on initial fixed costs: purchase of equipment, retrofitting of physical facilities, and initial material production.  Studies carried out by Richmond (2002) on the use of computers and projectors in classrooms, for example revealed that installation of hardware and retrofitting of physical facilities account for only between 40%-60% of the full cost of using these technologies over their lifetime. The author noted that at first glance, it may seem that the initial purchase of hardware and software is the costliest part of the process, the bull of the total cost of ownership is spread out over time, with annual maintenance and support costs , that is variable costs constituting between 30%-50% of the total cost of acquisition of hardware and software.
• Equity: Given the wide disparity in access to ICT between rich and poor countries and between different groups within countries and among students in higher institutions, there are serious concerns that the use of ICT in education and the application of Educational Communication Technologies will widen existing divisions drawn along economic, social, cultural, geographic, and gender lines. Providing access to ICTs for students to enable them have a one-on-one approach to the use of Educational Communication Technologies will address equity issues and prevent the disparity among learners to ensuring that the technology is actually being used by the target learners in ways that truly serve their needs. Tandon cited in Esoswo (2011) noted when planning for the introduction of Media Technologies for instructional delivery, an intentional bridge to easy the digital divide should be taken in order not to further marginalize those who are already underserved and/or disadvantaged.
• Sustainability: One major issue in the introduction of ICT-enabled educational projects or programmes is sustainability. The ability to maintain and use technological facilities for a long period of time is important. Higher institutions must consider the durability of technological facilities in planning for their use.  Third world countries have suffered great deal of collapse in the use of modern technologies due to cost relate to maintenance, and hired of experts who are mostly foreigners (Cisler, 2002).  He noted that although cost and finance are limiting factors to sustainability of educational technologies in Nigeria, some others relates to technological, social, economic, and political.

Technological sustainability: This involves choosing technology that will be effective over a long period of time.  In a rapidly changing technological environment, this becomes a necessary issue for planners to contend with the threat to technological obsolescence. However, it should also be noted that the choice of a given technology is driven by the learning objectives to enhance the achievement of the desired educational goals.  Besides, when making technological decisions Sakellariou, (2002) explained that planners should consider the availability of spare parts and technical support to sustain the use of that technology.  A situation were the needed personnel support, parts, and power cannot be easily reached is not encouraged.

Social sustainability: This involves giving the surrounding community a sense of belonging to the new project.  The school does not exist in a vacuum, and for an ICT-enabled project to succeed, the stakeholders like: parents, political leaders, business men and so on must be giving a sense of belonging and ownership. To some extent, technical support can be derived from the stakeholders without much cost. Innovations in the new technology can be sustained when all those affected directly or indirectly know exactly why such technologies is being introduced, the implications on their lives, and what part they can play in ensuring its success. ICT-enabled programs such as Educational Communication Technologies must ultimately serve the needs of the community; hence community wide consultation and mobilization are processes critical to its sustainability.

Political sustainability: This refers to issues of policy and leadership.  One of the major threat to ICT-enabled programs is resistance to change. If for instance, teachers refuse to use Education Communication Technologies in their classrooms, the use of such ICTs can hardly take off, much less be sustained over long term. Due to the innovative nature of ICT, leaders must have a keen understanding of the innovation process required for successful adoption, and harmonize plans and actions accordingly for the success of the project in the school.

Economic Sustainability: This refers to the ability of a school and community to finance an ICT-enabled program over the long term.  Cost-effectiveness is key, as technology investments are expensive. There is need to plan and build lucrative multiple channels of financing through partnership with stakeholders on how to defray the cost over the long term. The need to develop means of financing ICT-enabled programs in schools ties economic sustainability to social and political sustainability.  These issues permeates so  many challenges that hinder the effective use of Educational Technologies in universities in Nigeria which needs to be addressed.

Challenges in the use of Education Technologies

Many challenges militate against the effective use of ICT-enabled programs like Education Technologies in higher education in Nigeria. These challenges according to Albert (2016), are classified in to three groups namely: infrastructural, capacity building, and finance related challenges.

• Infrastructural related challenges: A country’s educational technology infrastructure depends on the national telecommunications and information infrastructure. To this end, before any ICT-enabled program is launched; policy-makers and planners must carefully consider buildings to house available ICT facilities, availability of electricity, and ambiguity to types of ICT. In areas where there are old school buildings, extensive retrofitting to ensure proper electrical wiring, heating/cooling and ventilation, safety and security would be needed.

The availability of electricity supply is also essential as most of technological facilities use electricity to function. Nigeria as a developing country still experience erratic power failure and most higher institutions rely on power plant that are not easily serviced due to paucity of funds.

Critical consideration of the ambiguities of different types of ICT in the country and in the educational system is important. For instance, a basic requirement for computer based or online learning is access to computers in school, communities, and households, as well as affordable internet service.

• Capacity building related challenges: For successful integration of ICT-enabled programs in the educational system in Nigeria, MacDougal and Squires (1997) noted that various competencies are required: These competencies relates to: teachers technical skills, skills for educational administrators, technical support specialist, and for content developers.

The competencies required of teachers are to develop skills with particular applications; integration into existing curricula; curriculum changes related to the use of IT (including changes in instructional design); changes in teacher role; and underpinning educational theories.  Hawkins (2002) noted that the acquisition of these skills is expected to be addressed in pre-service teacher training and built on and enhanced in-service. The possession of ICT skills according to Hawkins is a perquisite for teaching qualification in western countries like Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. Even the most fluent ICT teachers need to continuously upgrade their skills and keep abreast of the latest developments and best practices. This is done to make teachers more effective in their roles in the classroom as the learning process becomes more learner-centered.

The possession of ICT skills by educational administrators is essential as leadership plays a key role in ICT integration in education. Many teacher or student initiated ICT projects have been undermined by lack of support from education administrators. Esoswo (2011) noted that for ICT-enabled integration program to be effective and sustained, education administrators must be competent in the use of technology, and they must have a broad understanding of the technical, curricular, administrative, financial, and social dimension of ICT use in education.

The provision of necessary technical support specialists for successful integration ICT-enabled programs possesses a challenge to schools. Technical support specialists whether provided from among school staff or from external service providers is essential to the sustainability of ICT-enabled programs in Nigerian higher institutions. While technical support requirements of an institution depend ultimately on what and how technology is deployed and used, general competencies that are required according to Drent & Meeliseen (2008), would be in installation, operation, and maintenance of technical equipment (including software), network administration, and network security. Without on-site technical support, much time and money may be lost due to technical breakdowns. This this the case with Nigeria as ICT technicians are hardly reached within the country, and pose a threat in times of systems breakdown (Esoswo, 2011).

Finally, another capacity building related challenge in integrating ICT-enabled program in education is that of content developers. Content development is a critical area that is too often overlooked.  Developing ICT-based educational materials in English language relevant to the needs of the learner is important. Also, there is need to develop original educational material content (e.g., radio programs, interactive multimedia learning materials on CDROM or DVD, and web-based courses etc), adapt existing content, and convert print based content to digital media.  These are task for which content development specialist such as instructional designers, scriptwriters, audio and video production specialists, programmers, multimedia course authors, and web-developers are needed. Universities in Nigeria planning for the integration of ICT-enabled programs for instructional delivery are expected to dedicate special units to technical support and content development for sustainability.

• Finance related challenges:  One notable challenge to the integration of ICT-enabled programs in educational institutions for instructional delivery is balancing educational goals with economic realities (Tinio, 2002). The integration of ICT-based education programs in higher institutions require large capital investments and developing countries like Nigeria need to be prudent  in making decisions about what type of model to be introduced and to be conscious of maintaining economics of scale. Tinio further noted that the issue to be considered in integrating Information Technology in education especially for instructional delivery is whether the ICT-based learning is the most effective strategy for achieving the desired educational goals, and if so, what is the modality and scale of implementation that can be supported given existing financial constraints in Nigerian higher institutions due to inadequate budgetary provisions less than the 26% UNESCO recommendation for the education sector.

According to Cisler (2002), the following are potential sources of funds for university education for the integration of ICT-enabled educational programs. They are: Grants, Public subsidies, Private donations, fund raising events, Educational services, business services, and community support. Similarly, Akaranta cited in Robert-Okah & Walson, (2018) enumerated seven sources of financing higher education to mitigate their dwindling revenue base as:  Research partnership with industry, Research contract, Endowment of professional chairs, Research partnership for graduate students and academic staffs, Industry lecturers hands-on, Co-supervision of research projects to solve societal problems, and Sabbatical leaves in the industries.

Proper funding of higher education in Nigeria would mitigate the financial restrained factors limiting the infusion of ICT-enabled technologies in education.   Prospects in the use of ICT-enabled educational programs like Educational Communication Technology are obvious.

Prospects in the use of ECT in instructional delivery

There are emerging evidence that the use of Educational Communication Technology can help improve instructional delivery and raised standards of education in Universities in Nigeria.  Some prospects of using ICT-based technologies like Educational Communication Technology according to Frederick, (2015) are:

• Empowers learners: The use of Educational Communication Technology will help produce citizens who can be self-reliant that can be useful to themselves, their society and the development of the country at large as envisaged by the National Policy on Education  (NPE, 2014).
• Enhances creativity and innovative teaching and learning: With the use of Educational communication Technology, teaching and learning of curriculum content could be more creative and innovative in this 21st century since learners remember 80% of what they see and do (Nwankwo, 1990).
• Offers flexibility to instructional delivery: The delivery of a wide range curriculum content to the learner that will make the philosophical framework of Nigeria education to be ascertain on the level of equity would be enhance through the use of Educational communication Technology. To that extent, it will help teachers and learners make teaching-learning simpler and concretize.
• Achieves better value: Lecturers in tertiary institutions and other teachers could develop innovative ways of deploying their resources using Educational communication Technology alongside with other teaching methods to improve quality and economics of scale in instructional delivery.
• Generates professional workforce and fulfilled citizens: The use of ICT-based technologies like Educational communication Technology in instructional delivery would help produce a workforce and fulfilled citizens with knowledge and skills  that would enhance knowledge transfer and contribute to revolutionize the educational system. With the use of Educational communication Technology to deliver curriculum content in Nigerian Universities, (Ndam and Oti, 2010) noted that it will note only help to make teaching and learning active but will also tap the benefits more effective method of teaching and learning offers.
• Promotes self-study: The use of ICT-enhance technologies like Educational communication Technology promotes intrinsic motivation, self-study, and initiation of organized active learning in education.
• It arouses learners’ curiosity:  The use of ICT-enabled technologies like  Educational communication Technology for instructional delivery  will help learners to create a situation or atmosphere  in which curiosity is aroused, imaginations stimulated, interest generated, viewpoints enlarged and attitudes changed for  attaining the basis of education.

Conclusion  

The importance of using ICT-enabled technologies in Nigerian tertiary institutions cannot be over emphasized.  The use of Educational Technology in the delivery of instruction in tertiary institutions in the 21st century in Nigeria is a sure way of thinking of the future by providing knowledge-based education in line with international best practices for a competitive workforce. However, much need to be done on human capital building for teachers though continuous professional development training workshops, seminars, and course collaboration with National and international institutions. Although providing these avenues for professional development of teachers is costly, the benefits are much felt in improving the quality of teaching, enhancing the image of the institution and making learning more effective.

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Sakellariou, S. (2002). The role of ICT in science education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 32(2), 78-97.

Shahid, S.S. (2017). Components of Educational Technology- Hardware & Software. Department of Education, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. Retrieved from https//www.slideshare.net/Sani211094/components-of-educational-technology-82947660.

Tinio, V.L. (2002). Information and Communication Technology in education. Retrieved on  20/4/2019 from https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org/en/issue-briefs/improve-learning/curriculum-and-material/information-and-communication-technology-ict

Walson, O.B.A., & Nnokan, N.C. (2017). Demographic variables as predictors of teachers’ teaching effectiveness in the management of secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. Journal of Education and Society, 7(3), 508-528.

Correspondents can be directed to:

WALSON, Ominini Brother Asako  Ph.D Department of Educational Management Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria Email: [email protected] (08038877492)

OKANU-IGWELA, Jennifer Ngozi Blessing  Ph.D Department of Library and Information Science Rivers State University Nkpolu, Oroworukwo, Port- Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria                                                                                                                                                                    Email: [email protected] (08063948870)

ADECT 2019 Proceedings Copyright © 2019 by Ominini Brother Asako Walson, Ph.D and Jennifer Ngozi Blessing Okanu-Igwela, Ph.D is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Five ways to build resilience in Nigeria’s education system

By Adedeji Adeniran , Director of Research at the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) and Thelma Obiakor , PhD Candidate at the London School of Economics and Political Science

COVID-19 has compounded a long-standing learning crisis in many African countries, where millions of children were already out of school before the pandemic.

Nigeria has the highest rate of out-of-school children, low literacy rates, and high inequalities between and within groups in terms of education access and learning outcomes. The pandemic further reduced school attendance by approximately 17%, particularly among adolescents aged 15 to 18, according to a working paper by Dessy et al . For many school-aged children, temporary school closures have become permanent.

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Meanwhile, evidence suggests about half a year’s worth of learning loss on average across the country. In other African countries with data, the learning loss ranges from eight months ( South Africa ) to two years ( Uganda ).  

New thinking and innovations are required to rebuild Nigeria’s education system. Based on our research and practice in the sector , we have pinpointed five ways in which Nigeria’s education sector can achieve an inclusive recovery from the pandemic:

1) Prioritise equity

The pandemic has disproportionately affected the most marginalised groups, and many are at risk of long-term exclusion. Many children who no longer attend school are from poorer backgrounds and reside in rural or remote areas. Technology to mitigate learning loss during the pandemic was often inaccessible to rural communities because of lack of electricity or internet connectivity as well as other financial or logistical constraints.

It is critical to prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable children because they are likely to require the most investment to recover from learning losses. At a time when state budgets are strained, a resource-efficient way to achieve this is to collaborate with grassroots organisations that support the most vulnerable communities at a local level.

2) Develop a data-driven education system

Data for performance monitoring and evidence-based research was critical to Nigeria’s policy response during COVID-19. School closures, remote learning programmes, and school reopening were all guided by evidence. Most studies that tracked the impact of COVID-19-induced school closures found moderate to high learning loss depending on socio-economic background and settings.

Rapid learning assessment in the classrooms and at regional levels can help measure the extent and dimensions of COVID-induced learning loss. Remedial and reorientation programmes are more effective when designed with a good understanding of learning gaps. COVID-19 has shown us how important it is to have a learning assessment system; tools such as learning trajectories and surveys of enacted curriculum that equip teachers to transform learning assessments into practical classroom activities will also be crucial.

3) Align the curriculum to foundational learning

The education system in Nigeria, like most developing countries, tends towards an age-grade system centred on class or curriculum completion rather than knowledge acquisition. This creates a misalignment between curriculum and actual competencies, leading to higher schooling but lower learning. Reforms such as “Teaching at the Right Level” (TARL) that have been widely implemented in countries such as India and Kenya have sought to address these issues with a new system and slower curriculum centred on learning. While it is still emerging in Nigeria, the adoption rate and its impact on the education system have been low.  

School disruption induced by COVID-19 is an opportunity to step-up learning recovery and ensure the curriculum aligns with classroom practices and assessments. The education system should focus more on foundational skills development, ensuring that children acquire the basic numeracy and literacy skills that are building blocks for a life of learning. In addition, the post-COVID-19 education system needs to be better prepared for shocks and technologically driven.

4) Increase support for the education workforce

The education workforce was affected by low morale and income shocks induced by COVID-19. Education sector recovery should include targeted social protection for the education workforce and parents. For parents, this includes maintaining the school feeding programme , providing subsidies for school materials such as uniforms and textbooks, and providing income shields for low-income households by expanding access to credit markets. For the education workforce, it is crucial to provide retraining that equips them to transition and adapt to the hybrid learning environment that COVID-19 has spurred. Cross-exchange of ideas on local innovations to recover learning loss will also be important. Globally, countries have been experimenting with ways to recover from the effects of the pandemic, and the education workforce in Nigeria needs to be exposed to what works, where and why. This can create the knowledge base for replication and scaling of innovation.

5) Build context-specific solutions

Nigeria’s education system is variegated, and what works in one state or region may not work in others. For example, evidence suggests that while there are still substantial gender inequalities in access to education in Nigeria’s Northern states, many Southern states have achieved gender parity in this area. Investing in, evaluating through, and learning from grassroots initiatives is important to understand context-specific challenges.

In a nation estimated to be losing 7 to 13 % of its GDP to low human capital development, we cannot overemphasise the role of education as a basis for achieving other Sustainable Development Goals.  Focusing on these five dimensions will ensure that the approaches to building back better yield an outcomes driven, learning-focused and equitable education system in Nigeria.

There is a lot to learn from the innovations and failures that have come out of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The biggest lesson of all is that we live in an interconnected world; we need to work together to make it an equitable one. With particular attention to the voices of actors from the Global South, this series, in collaboration with Southern Voice , aims to identify solutions for an equitable recovery and to sustainably address power asymmetries among and within countries and regions.

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Education in Nigeria is in a mess from top to bottom. Five things can fix it

University of Benin

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Dr. Omowumi Olabode Steven Ekundayo is affiliated with with the Liberation Party and works with the party as an administrative consultant.

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Nigeria’s education system is based on the (1)-6-3-3-4 formula: one year pre-primary education, six years primary, three years junior secondary, three years senior secondary, and a minimum of four years tertiary education.

The model had been used successfully in China, Germany and Ghana before Nigeria adopted it in 1989.

But it’s never been fully implemented in Nigeria. Although successive governments have theoretically upheld its objectives, none has successfully implemented the policy.

Nigeria’s educational system is in assorted crises of infrastructural decay, neglect, waste of resources and sordid conditions of service. The country has over 10 million out-of-school children . That’s the highest in the world. Another 27 million children in school are performing very poorly . Millions of Nigerians are half-educated, and over 60 million – or 30% – are illiterate .

On top of this, many eligible young Nigerians can’t gain admission into public universities. At the same time prohibitive tuition fees, among other factors, are a barrier to the country’s private universities.

As the Buhari-Osinbajo government starts its second term it should focus on key areas that will dig Nigeria’s education system out of the deep hole it’s in. I have identified five priorities it should attend to first.

Appointment

The new government should appoint an expert Minister of Education, not a political party lackey. In the past, Nigeria’s educational system has fared better under expert education ministers who earned their stripes through the system.

Take Professor Jubril Aminu, who served in the portfolio from 1985 to 1990. The 6-3-3-4 system was inaugurated during his tenure. Aminu also introduced “ nomadic education ” in 1989 for nomadic Fulani and other migrant ethnic groups.

Aminu was followed by Professor Babs Fafunwa (1990 to 1992). He overhauled the national education policy. He also provided room for education in mother tongue, a universal practice which most African countries have not fully implemented. UNESCO recommends education in mother tongue because of its immense advantages .

Lastly, under Professor Sam Egwu (2008 to 2010), a controversial agreement was signed between the government and the union representing the country’s academic staff . The agreement – signed in 2009 after drawn-out negotiations – stipulated conditions of service and remuneration for lecturers, the autonomy of universities and how the government should fund tertiary education.

But successive governments have violated the terms of the pact, claiming that they didn’t have the money to meet some of its terms. Officials claimed that sections of the pact were difficult, and in some cases impossible, to implement. However, the union rejects these claims and has accused the government of using delay tactics and questionable criticisms to frustrate the deal.

Funding is the biggest problem confronting Nigeria’s education system. The percentage of the budget allocated to education annually is abysmally low. In 2018, only 7.04% was allocated to education. This is far below UNESCO’s recommended 15%-26% .

Nigeria’s experience with the commercialisation and neglect of government secondary and primary school levels has led to poorer education outcomes. Nor is privatisation the answer: it’s only likely to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. It will deny many children affordable quality education, increase the rate of illiteracy and reduce academic performance at the tertiary level.

If the government continues to privatise government-owned universities, as is already the case with the proliferation of private universities with high fees, tertiary education will become the exclusive preserve of the rich upper class. This, in a country where more than 90% of the population is currently living in abject poverty .

The government should also cut wasteful expenditure. For example, I would argue that the “school children feeding programme” is a massive drain on resources.

Government reported earlier this year that it allocated 220 billion naira for the programme and of that, about 50 billion naira was wasted. This money could have be spent on more pressing problems such as building more classrooms and equipping them, supplying teaching and learning materials and improving staff welfare and remuneration.

Money for research

Research suffers in three ways in Nigeria. First, researchers work without sponsorship, particularly in the core sciences. The Tertiary Education Trust Fund is virtually the only source of money. The Trust funds and sponsors research projects, gives grants for research and sponsors lecturers for academic conferences, among other things. But its resources are limited and its operations are slow, highly selective and sometimes politicised.

Secondly, study findings are often abandoned on library shelves because the government isn’t committed to research-oriented development. Researchers don’t have the means to promote their work and research findings.

Third, research output is mediocre and repetitive because there are no effective measures in place to track research output nationwide.

Stop incessant strikes

In 1978, the Academic Staff Union of Universities was established to represent academic staff in Nigeria’s universities. Since then , there have been strikes almost every year, disrupting the academic calendar.

To stop these annual disruptions, the government must increase budgetary allocations to the sector and honour agreements that have been signed with the unions.

The only way that strikes will be stopped is if the welfare of all staff, from teachers to lecturers, is prioritised.

In conclusion

If these priorities are successfully implemented, Nigeria’s education system would be well on its way to realising government’s commitment to its own policies and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals .

• Higher education
• Education funding
• Private education
• Teacher pay
• Muhammadu Buhari
• tuition fees
• Peacebuilding
• Academic performance
• Basic education
• Nigeria elections 2019

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By Kolawole Yetunde

According to Wikipedia, Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. It is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.

According to the findings fully supported by  Pro-Papers , an education writing firm in USA, the education sector should be paid lots of attention because it gives room for the country’s development. Unfortunately, the quality and standard of education in Nigeria is poor because it has not been paid adequate attention.

Nigeria runs a federation system, so the Nigerian education system is overseen by the Ministry of Education. The education system at the federal level is managed by the Ministry of Education. This includes management of federal universities and schools. State public schools and tertiary institutions are controlled regionally by the Ministry at the state level.

We’ll try to highlight the leading causes for poor state and quality of education in our country and possible ways out.

1. Poor Funding

The first and possibly one of the greatest challenges facing education in Nigeria is inadequate funding by the federal, state and local government. In the year 2017, Nigeria’s education sector was again allocated much lower than the 26 percent of national budget recommended by the United Nations.

The global organization recommended the budgetary benchmark to enable nations adequately cater for rising education demands. But, in the proposal presented to the National Assembly, President Muhammadu Buhari allocated only 7.04% of the 8.6 trillion 2018 budget to the education.

The total sum allocated to the sector is N605.8 billion, with N435.1 billion for recurrent expenditure, N61.73 billion for capital expenditure and N109.06 billion for the Universal Basic Education Commission.

Read more: https://infoguidenigeria.com/problems-education-nigeria/

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RECOMMENDED: Examination malpractice in Nigeria: Causes, effects and solutions

Education is the process of giving and receiving systematic enlightenment.  Education could be in a formal setting or an informal setting. Informal setting here are places other than the academic environment, (that is schools) where an individual acquires values and skills. Education can be said to be in a formal setting where the students are engaged in learning in a formal environment (classes).

Education plays a vital role in the society, and a few of the contributions are:

a. Social development : Education undoubtedly leads to social development, as skills and values are acquired in a manner that would help sharpen the economy and occupational structure.

It serves as a tool for social integration: this it does, by integrating people into the bigger society. Education serves as a means of teaching students their place and usefulness in the society.

b. Personality development :  Education goes a long way in developing the personality of students. When a child is born, his mind is a “ tabula rasa ”, meaning it is an empty slate, and it is up to the society to inculcate certain values, knowledge and develop his mind.

An educational system refers to the economic and social factors that constitute the school. These factors could ne funding, staffing, compensation or resources needed for the management and day to day activities of the school. Educational system is majorly influenced by the communication, exchange of ideas, funding and research of scholars and the government. It is worthy of note that these pertains to only public schools and universities.

Nigeria’s educational system is based on the 1-6-3-3-4 approach. What this means is that the child spends one year at nursery school, six years at primary school, three years at junior secondary school, three more years at senior secondary school completing the secondary school education and lastly, minimum of four years in the university or polytechnic (tertiary institutions). It is worthy of note that this system/mode was successfully used in a few countries like China, Germany, Ghana, before it was adopted by Nigeria.

Also see: Solutions to the problems of the judiciary in Nigeria

Table of Contents

11 Major Challenges and Problems of the Nigerian Educational System

1. Infrastructural decay : The public institutions is a mess, as the buildings are more of dilapidated buildings than they are of learning environments, there are not enough classrooms teaching aids (laboratories, computers) and even the libraries are in a pitiful condition. Every year, monies are being allocated for the educational sector but nothing changes.

2. High tuition fees : the essence of public schools is for its affordability. A lot of people cannot afford to pay for these schools and end up being drop outs. In Nigeria, about 10.5 million are out of school, with finance being a major reason.

3. Nepotism in admission: Students write Jamb and post Utme, yet they are not given their deserved position because they are sidelined as nobodies or not belonging to a particular clan or ethnic group. This is also evident in the employment of lecturers, as tribe and language is considered over capability and expertise.

4. Cultism: Cultism is one thing that has eroded the educational community. The need for students to be feared and feel powerful is one reason for the advancement of this plague by the students, sexual harassment by teachers on their female students coercing them into having sex for grades, teacher victimization of students and a lot more.

Recommended: History of Education in Nigeria

5. Corruption : This is one major disease eating into the educational system. Examples are examination malpractice by students encouraged by teachers who have been paid to aid the process.

6. Greed : As you may known, problems always lead to another problem. Greed is a big problem in the Nigerian education system because most teachers aren’t paid as they are supposed. Consequently, even when the government finally decides to pay teachers, those who are the head of these school usually keep some of the money to themselves rather than pay the supposed salary or wage to school workers.

In most secondary and tertiary schools in Nigeria now, Lecturers/teachers don’t make enough money from their salary. They do this by collecting money from students or mandating them to get school materials for a pay or they will fail.

7. Outdated school curriculum: This is another huge challenge of the Nigerian education system. It is also the reason why Nigeria is lagging when it comes to technological growth, development and information in Africa as a whole. In most tertiary institutions in Nigeria, students are making use of old and outdated books . The worst of all is the fact that teachers and lectures who are assigned to teach are usually reluctant to keep students up to date with the trends in their fields of study. This is so because even the teachers are old too.

While other countries like South Africa, Canada, US and the UK are already making use of technology to solve academic problems for students, most Nigerian teachers are not even computer literate to start with. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest problems of Nigeria education system.

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8. Bad parental upbringing: There is a popular adage that “ Charity begins at home “. This goes to explain that whatever a child or student does in the public has already started at home. Parents are undoubtedly one of the most important parts of their children’s life and the way the children are brought up goes a long way to determine their moral standards.

Believe it or not, 40% of students who engage in examination malpractice frequently in school these days grew up where they didn’t find cheating as something bad. This could be because of their home or even the environment where they grew.

In light of the above, parental upbringing affects the education system of Nigeria indirectly. When parents try to bring up their children the right way it becomes hard for those children to engage in examination malpractice and it also becomes easier for the teacher to stop such acts.

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9. Inadequate funding: Inadequate funding is an immediate problem facing the education system in Nigeria. This issue of inadequate funding has been in play for series of years, yet, it has not occurred to be a matter of concern to those in charge. The education sector ordinarily ought to be one of the sectors that is most invested in. It could be that several administrations have paid inadequate attention to the funding of the education sector because it seems not to be yielding immediate visible profit.

They have failed to understand that the impact of the education system is a long-term one which cuts across all sectors of a country’s economy and growth. Public schools in countries like Germany, France, Norway, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Brazil, Greece, Czech Republic, Iceland and so on, offer free tuition fees to students in their public schools. This is the extent of the countries’ investment in the education sector. This is the extent to which education is valued in such countries.

Who talks about free education in Nigeria? Would that ever become possible? Of Course, yes. But then, the basic funding should be made adequate first for proper revitalization of academic institutions. The education sector is the sector that has experienced the most number of strike actions owing to inadequate funding by government. The purposes of public schools have in fact been defeated as a result of inadequate funding. It is unusual for everybody to be wrong at the same time, so if the system is clamouring for a change, then there is certainly a call for attention.

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10. Shortage of teaching staff/ unavailability of qualified teachers: Many Nigerian schools today have a single instructor teaching 3-5 courses, some of which they are not qualified to teach. Classroom teachers are compelled to become lab technicians, and some low-tier educational institutions do not even have teachers to take certain courses. These disappointing situations are a result of the lack of qualified teachers in the school system.

The poor working conditions, low pay, and inadequate benefits that Nigerian teachers must endure have deterred many capable and qualified individuals from entering the teaching profession. Those who have, however, do so out of a lack of better employment opportunities, which accounts for their lack of commitment as they are constantly looking for better opportunities. The resultant effect is a substantial fall in the quality of education in the country- which is heavily evident in the educational output.

11. Poor infrastructure and training facilities: In Nigeria, the majority of schools and institutions are in terrible shape. The majority of states have unfavourable educational environments.

The majority of the structures lack teaching materials and are in poor condition. Practical or technical resources are lacking in schools. Because of a lack of standard and up-to-date practical facilities, education is more theoretical and quantitative than qualitative.

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For more about the problems of Nigerian education system, I encourage you to watch the YouTube video below. It highlights some other problems of Nigerian educational system not mentioned above.

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Solutions To The Problems Of Nigerian Education System

a. Appointment of capable persons as minister and commissioner of education : the commissioner of education and minister of education should not be appointed based on politics but on what they are capable of. Nigeria’s educational system has fared better in the hands and control of professional and expert ministers than in the hands of politicians who see everything as a medium to play politics. For example, in 1985, when Professor Jubril Aminu was minister of Education, progressive steps were taken. It was during his tenure that the 6-3-3-4 educational system was introduced. He also introduced nomadic education for the Fulani who are always on the road.

Another example of an expert minister of education is Professor Sam Egwu. During his administration, he entered into a pact with ASUU (Academic staff union of universities), providing conditions of service, funding of tertiary institutions, autonomy of universities and means and payment of lecturers. This is the pact causing trouble recently, as successive administrations are yet to fulfill the pact on the account that it is too much for them to handle, due to inadequate funds.

Again, Professor Babatunde Fafunwa, appointed in 1990, also made gigantic steps during his time. He introduced education using our indigenous language, this being one of the first, in Africa, as the usual language then was English.

These, in respect to now, goes a long way in proving that experts do better when placed in positions in correlation with their area of expertise, instead of a semi educated person who’s there only to advance political interest and barely knows his left from right.

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b. Adequate Funding : the monies allocated to the educational sector, part of which even gets to be embezzled, is very low. Thus, schools are learning to seek for ways of funding which as led to high increase of school fees (which has become too high for the poor people to afford) and commercialization of the schools, others, which have been neglected are in a poor, miserable states with low infrastructures and dilapidated buildings. If things continue like this, there will soon be no opportunity for schooling for the poor and average people in the society as schooling would be very expensive.

Hence, privatization is not the answer. Money spent on wasteful expenditure should be diverted to funding schools and renovating the buildings. Also, reading material and other materials needed for the running of the school should be provided by the government, to help make life easier for students.

c. Research: The Nigerian universities should be at the fore front of research in the country, especially in the sciences department. Libraries should be updated with recent books, research projects should be given utmost importance by the government and funding should be made in that respect.

d. Striking: the academic union for universities, polytechnics, and secondary schools are known for persistent strikes, and this is without fault; the government fails to pay them their dues and give them certain right to which they are entitled to. There is a need for this to change, in order to progressive movements to be evidenced in our educational sector. The teachers and lecturers should be paid their dues as and at the time due.

e. Anti-cult: Anti cultism groups should be created in schools with an aim to stopping cult practices in universities and schools and arresting offenders to the point of prosecution.

Also read: Reasons why women don’t participate in politics: 7 Reasons

In conclusion, the future of Nigerian educational system, now, is bleak. But there is still hope and this is subject to the seriousness of the government and the will to make it work. Government should place all hands on deck and seek to return the educational sector to its former glory.

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.

This Post Has 4 Comments

points of correction parent are never part of problems in Nigeria,quite alright you have shaded some lights in some of the problems,the current dillema that education found it self, its not resulting from from poor parental child upbringing rather,its the government,and system of governance in our country,a very clear example ,you take your children you are expecting them to be given the exepected changes,but the revers is the case,a child will finish his jss well equipped in exams malpractice a teacher guide him well how to prepare for ssce malpractice,and other offenses related.

Parents contribute to the problems facing education in Nigeria. Some of them before registering their wards in a school they will ask for their SSCE result sheets and proceed to ask shamelessly whether their wards will be assisted during the exams. If I may ask, who do sponsor outside WAEC exams for their children? Currently, the outside WAEC lives in our secondary schools nowadays. There is no exception on the problem of education in Nigeria. We all must stand to build back our education system.

I sincerely appreciate your work

Parents also contribute to the problems facing education.They even ask the school authority may be their wil pass

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