Expert Canvasses Human Capital Investment in Teachers for Improved Learning Outcomes

An expert in the education sector and Chief Executive Officer, Leading Learning Limited, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, has stressed the need for stakeholders to give priority attention to upskilling teachers to guarantee a positive impact of the adoption of edtech in Nigeria’s education sector.

This was the takeout at the just concluded February edition of Edtech Mondays, an initiative, organised by the Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT. The engagement session with the theme, ‘Evaluating the Impact of Government Policies in Edtech Adoption in Nigeria’, was moderated by the Programme Associate, Education, CCHUB, Abigail Anaza-Mark.

Adefisayo, a former commissioner for education in Lagos, admitted that though there has been a rise in edtech adoption in Nigeria, it has failed to impact learning outcomes.

“If the government is keen on adopting innovation in the education sector, it must give adequate attention to the teachers in training and rewards system. Innovation has to happen in the classroom; the teachers need to be superbly skilled. We need to look at how we treat the teachers and give the profession the glamour it deserves. We should also upskill teachers and teach them how to deploy resources to improve their crafts,” she said.

According to her, despite the implementation of the 2019 National Policy of ICT in Education, which focuses on research and infrastructure, the course of learning and teaching in schools has not improved. She disclosed that the government needs to review the country’s curriculum to cater to the integration and adoption of technology, as this would go a long way to support learning and teaching.

“Edtech solution is not in the country’s curriculum and cannot be included in the scheme of work. Textbooks are still king as far as teaching and learning are concerned in Nigeria. Teachers are not taught the skills of integrating technology into the classroom. It is something done by science and technology but not the education sector itself,” she added.  

Commenting on the policy guidelines needed to advance the adoption of edtech in Nigeria, the educationist stated that the government must come up with policies that take into account the confidentiality, safety, and security of children online, as well as the emotional relationship between the school and parents.