Learn Africa Celebrates 60th Anniversary, Promotes Digital Transformation

Funmi Ogundare

The Chairman of Learn Africa, Chief Emeka Iwerebon, has stated the organisation’s readiness to focus more on digital technology by transitioning from traditional publishing with end products being e-books and e-learning.

Iwerebon, who said this at the company’s diamond jubilee celebration, said to achieve this, it has collaborated with the federal government and others to develop teacher training content for the N-Teach of the N-power programme. He said it recently developed its e-content for the use of modern readers and online learners.

Speaking to journalists, he said the organisation commenced its digital transformation when it worked with the federal government to power the teacher training content and provide e-content to senior secondary school students.

“We are working with the government to provide e-content in subjects like English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology to senior secondary school students. We have been awarded a job of providing an e-library to Kaduna State,” said Iwerebon.

He added that the organisation was developing a consortium for digital learning for Africa, where it will be providing content for about 30 million students.
Iwerebon disclosed that it was collaborating with UNICEF to provide content at an affordable price so that public schools students can have access to it.

“Almost 85 per cent of students population are in public schools, and if they are in public schools, it should be free,” he stated. “So, the government has a role, and if they are providing one book per child, I think things will be different. But I am not sure that is happening. Education is supposed to be free, but the books they are providing is not enough.”

Regarding whether there will still be demand for publications in print, he said, “It can’t phase out. We will always have the hard copy. Even in the developed society, it’s ratio 60 to 40. It is so because data is expensive, and there are connectivity issues in the rural areas.”

He added, “We have a recent information that began the e-revolution much earlier than us, they are still using the paper, so you can’t discard it, but we won’t use in the kind of numbers we are using it.”

Iwerebon expressed concern about piracy in the country, saying that it relies on government and security agencies to stamp out the scourge.

In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion and Commissioner of Education and Technology, Ogun State, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, congratulated the organisation for the feat, saying that the diamond jubilee provides the organisation’s staff with the opportunity to let them know how much they are valued.

The Commissioner of Education in Kaduna State Halima Lawal commended the organisation for its feat over the years, stressing that its initiative has enhanced teachers’ development.