Experts Call for More Investment in Digital Literacy

Experts in digital literacy have called on education stakeholders to make more investments to facilitate the inclusion of digital literacy in school curricula. 

This was the takeout at the just concluded September edition of Edtech Mondays, organised by the Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT.

The panel session themed ‘Accelerating Digital Literacy for the Benefit of Education System in Nigeria’, moderated by the Practice Lead, Education CCHUB, Chinyelu Akpa, which featured other edtech experts, discussed the enormous 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 in Nigeria, given that it is vital to the future of work, enhances quality education, and fosters socio-economic prosperity.

One of the panellists, Azeez Ojoro, a teacher at State High School, Oyewole, Agege, Lagos, stated that acquiring digital skills has become inevitable to function effectively in an increasingly digital world. According to him, digital skills are critical for the benefit of education systems and the 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 has become compulsory for both learners and teachers. 

Another panellist, Ademuyegun Olowojoba, founder, of Nerdz Factory, said 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 added that there was no doubt that digital literacy significantly improved learning outcomes in Nigeria, given the level of access to information or resources available now.

Citing the example of AI and how it has changed every facet of life, he noted that such digital resources would bring about innovations that would undoubtedly become life-changing for the economy.

In his remarks, the Director of Research and Development, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Agu Collins, stated that the agency has been promoting digital literacy in Nigeria through various initiatives or interventions.

These interventions, he said, are meant to bridge the challenges of increasing the 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, stating that efforts are in the pipeline to train more people, especially the youth.

Also, the 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, stated that the goal is to drive inclusion through education or learning that charts a pathway for a prosperous future or create job opportunities in the future.

According to Oladepo, the training, which will come in two legs, is intended to make every Nigerian digitally literate and create opportunities to improve their economic livelihoods.