Experts in the education sector have harped on the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in achieving quality education in Nigeria.
They stated this in Abuja at the 2022 EdTech Summit and award with the theme “Industrial Revolution, the Future of Education ” and also the exhibition program.
Speaking, the permanent secretary of Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew David Adejo, pledged government’s commitment to providing the right environment in schools for teaching and learning.
The Permanent Secretary who was represented by Deputy Director of ICT in the Ministry of Education, Gbenga Oderemi said Government is leveraging on ICT to improve the quality and efficiency of education at all levels.
He said technology has become the driver of competitiveness in our world today and has redefined productivity and changed the dynamics of production and services.
“We need to equip our youths with relevant IT skills and empower them for self-reliance and economic growth. We must use ICT to improve the life of our citizens and for social transformation.
“We are also providing greater access for the learners in basic and senior secondary. Some of our initiatives include; The development of a National ICT in Education policy; Training of teachers on basic ICT skills; and the provision of an e-learning portal for students across the country.”
In his welcome address, the Chief Executive officer of AFRITEX, Oyesola Oworu said the event was the first step for the emergence and development of the ecosystem, which is lagging in the education sector.
He said Nigeria has about 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria who are roaming the streets and the quick solution to fix it is through technology.
“The technology which feeds into this vision is the future of education. So we are not even talking about education, just like that. We are talking about what will make our education catch up.
“We have to meet the world where it is right now and we need to have this ecosystem developed so that everyone must come together.
“We are also planning to launch what we call Nigeria Educational Technology Alliance because a summit once in a year like this is not sufficient for us to be able to develop the ecosystem,” he added.
