Experts in the education sector have advocated the need for government to encourage teachers and students on the use of digital tools as part of efforts to improve learning outcomes.
 
This formed part of the conclusion at the October edition of Edtech Mondays, organised by the Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
 
This edition of the initiative themed: “Building digital tools that empower teachers and learners,” was moderated by the Practice Lead, Education, CCHUB, Chinyelu Akpa, and featured experts including Instructional Development Lead, Exampadi Joy Bassey; Basic Science Teacher, Aguda Junior Grammar School, Abiola Alabi; Programme Analyst, Olanike Aladejobi; Coach, Teach for Nigeria, Jemima Nnamdi-Iyeha and Co-Founder, GotoCourse, Dr Success Ojo.
 
According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) report, Africa would need additional 15 million educators to reverse the teacher shortage.
 
This emphasises the role of teachers as critical resources for making impactful transformations in the lives of people and society at large. Speaking during the session, Alabi said there is a need for relevant stakeholders, especially government, to create an enabling environment and motivation for teachers to embrace technology.
 
While calling for the review of the school curriculum in such a manner that would give room for better understanding and collaboration to make learning fun, Alabi noted that with the right incentive, majority of teachers would be discouraged from leaving Nigeria’s shore for greener pastures.
 
Bassey, on his part, listed the three major factors that must be considered when designing instructional tools as understanding learning objectives, provision of actionable content, and availability of appealing engaging visuals that give context based on different learning demographics.
 
He advised Edtech organisations to pay attention to principles underlining the development of educational tools, saying this would assist in producing relevant products capable of transforming learning outcomes for students.
 
Ojo stated that government’s support is necessary in promoting digital literacy among Nigerians. He advised the government to invest in digital infrastructure to improve the adoption of digital tools among teachers and learners.

She equally emphasised the need for stakeholders to create communities where teachers can share best practices to enable them to learn from one another.

Nnamdi-Iyeha said the organisation offers digital tools that empower teachers to plan and manage their time effectively, while impacting knowledge on their students.She urged the government to create collaborative learning spaces for teachers to aid large-scale adoption of digital tools for training and development.
 
In her remarks, Aladejobi said the introduction of digital tools in learning has not only helped in improving access to good content, but also improve Nigeria’s global competitiveness in education. She urged the government to create a conducive environment and ensure improved welfare for teachers to thrive.