Covid-19: NGO tasks FG, states on IT application in education delivery

Mr Daniels Akpan, Executive Director of the organisation, made the call in a telephone interview with the Nigeria News Agency , on Sunday in Kaduna.

Akpan, who is also the Co-Chair, African Education Forum,  spoke in reaction to the shutdown of academic activities in the country to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the development would impact negatively on the pupils, teachers, students and lecturers, pointing out that most schools were at the verge of examinations when they were closed.

The director noted that pupils and students were currently idling at home, following the stay at home order, adding that the trend would  create a major setback in the progress of education in the country.

He added that so far, about 1.5 billion students, representing 87.1 per cent of learners in 165 countries across the world had been affected by the closure of schools.

According to him, while technology is being deployed in developed countries to bridge the gap, learners in Nigeria and most African countries are idling at home.

“Nigeria’s education system has no adequate provisions for the use of technology and other innovations to keep students learning during emergencies and prevent academic activities from coming to a standstill.

“This disturbing situation will have been averted if the utilisation of ICT in education delivery in the country has been massive.

“Therefore, there is the need for the Federal and State governments to begin massive deployment of innovations and technology infrastructure in education delivery system in the country.

“Teachers must also be trained on how to use technology, which is cost efficient in the delivery of instruction to students wherever they are, either at school or home,” he said.

Akpan advised the government to take advantage of the opportunities presented by ICT for distance learning to take place, especially in the face of social distancing.

He said the smart move would mitigate future occurrence of a total shutdown of education activities in the country.

Edited By: Chioma Ugboma/Rabiu Sani Ali
(NAN)