‘Why Nigeria education sector should leverage technology for personal, ubiquitous learning’

Despite the falling standard in the country’s educational system and its rigid structure that suppresses innovative approach, the Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, Prof. A. A. Atayero has predicted that going by the dynamism being witnessed in the sector worldwide, in the nearest future, the ideal learning environment would have no walls.

He said this is because education would soon leverage on technology to facilitate personalise and ubiquitous learning.

Atayero who made the observation at the institution’s Edustart Summit tagged “The Future of Education” said in the new system, students would not need to be in school for five years to learn again rather they would be able to pick any courses they want to study because nobody would place so much emphasis on certificate anymore.

He said it would be what could you do as a graduate and what are you capable of.

The VC who revealed that the institution is already on the match towards an education system conceived for the future stated that the best teachers in the emerging dispensation would be those who can successfully impart skills for critical thinking towards lifelong learning.

Atayero also noted that the successful student would be the one who is totally disruptive in his thought processes and see nothing wrong in challenging the status quo.

He said such students would be void of a sense of entitlement.

Atayero however enjoined students to key into programming opportunities and learn the skills saying 80 per cent of tomorrow’s jobs are driven by technology.

Delivering a lecture titled “Future of Education: What Educators need to know and prepare for”, Professor of Science Education, Lagos State University, Prof. Peter Okebukola commended the institution for thinking ahead and preparing for education of the future.

He noted that they are being proactive rather than reactionary to the issue.

Projecting for the future of education in the country for the next ten years, Okebukola stated that by 2028, Nigerian classroom would have students with high degree of fluency in the use of technology.

He said that there would be students with weaker values and character and poorer reading culture.

Okebukola also stated that there would be more disruptive and morally bankrupt students with backing from indiscipline parents.

According to him, other factors include school curriculum that is still overloaded, slight improvement in the facilities for teaching and learning and increasing compromised school and public examination systems.

He also foresaw government struggling to pay teachers’ salaries and Nigerian society demanding more from the school system than investing in it.

Okebukola therefore called for stakeholders to join the discussion and get prepare for the revolution in the sector.

At the event, Country manager, Lead 360, Femi Iromini, said to address the issue of disparity in learning and industrial expectation, stakeholders in industries must have input in drafting curriculum for the country.

Also, a member, Teach for Nigeria, Folasade Adefisayo has called for a curriculum review saying what the country presently has is ridiculous, lacking in depth and coherence.

Co-founder, Yardaversity, Oludare Akinlaja in his own submission observed that oversea parallel systems are allow to thrive to enrich learning, but in Nigeria, the system is so strong that if you disrupt it, they would loss value.

He however said the country need to allow parallel system for education to grow in the country.