Experts have tasked education stakeholders to invest more in the sector and facilitate inclusion of digital literacy in the school curriculum.
This was the takeout at this month’s edition of Edtech Mondays, an initiative of Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The panel session, themed: “Accelerating digital literacy for the benefit of the education system in Nigeria,” and moderated by the Practice Lead, Education CCHUB, Chinyelu Akpa, discussed the benefits of prioritising digital literacy in Nigeria.
According to the 2021 World Bank development reports, more than 50 per cent of Nigeria’s population needs digital skills and cannot use data services.
With this revelation, stakeholders noted that digital literacy must be prioritised, as it is vital to the future of work, enhances quality education, and fosters socio-economic prosperity.
One of the panelists, Azeez Ojoro, a teacher at State High School, Oyewole, Agege, Lagos, said acquiring skills is imperative to function effectively in an increasingly digital world.
According to him, digital skills are critical for the benefit of education systems as well as socio-economic progress and advancement of the country.
While calling on the government and other stakeholders to work together to address issues of access to digital devices, data subsidy, and remuneration, Ojoro maintained that adopting digital literacy skills is a must for both learners and teachers.
Another Panelist, Ademuyegun Olowojoba, who is the Founder, Nerdz Factory, explained that the organisation’s goal is to empower Africans with digital skills that would help them become professionals or prepare them for the future of work.
Olowojoba noted that digital literacy has significantly improved learning outcomes in Nigeria, given the level of access to information currently available. Citing the example of AI and how it has changed every facet of life, he noted that such digital resources would bring about life-changing innovations for the economy.
In his remarks, the Director of Research and Development, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr Agu Collins, said the agency has been at the forefront of promoting digital literacy in Nigeria through various initiatives or interventions, meant to bridge the challenges of increasing cost of digital devices, internet access and electricity.
Collins noted that the agency is committed to achieving a target of 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030, while efforts are on to train more people, especially youths.
Executive Director and Co-founder of Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative, Oladiwura Oladepo, who has been at the forefront of empowering Africans with digital literacy, said the goal is to drive inclusion through learning that charts a pathway for a prosperous future.
