3 months ago
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Following its commitment to drive infusion of technology into the curriculum and promote instructional delivery process in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) recently emerged winner of the 2024 Anthology Visionary Award for Leadership.
The award was in recognition of the Fund’s efforts in transforming tertiary education through technology. This process, the agency believes, will make Nigerian graduates not only equipped for the employment market but also prepare them technologically and otherwise to compete with their peers across the world.
Interestingly, the efforts of the Executive Secretary of the Fund, Arc. Sonny Echono, are yielding results and presenting the Nigerian tertiary education sector as a brand to reckon with.
In a far away Orlando World Centre in the United States and before a global audience of over 2000 participants drawn from the academia, the Fund’s hard work spoke volume as Echono mounted the global stage to receive the Visionary Award on behalf of the agency.
In his acceptance speech, the Executive Secretary stated that the idea of infusing technology into curriculum and promoting instructional delivery process in the country’s public tertiary institutions was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who he said, aims at repositioning the education sector in the country as well as ensuring that all graduates of tertiary institutions attain digital literacy before graduation.
Recall that the Federal Ministry of Education under the leadership of Prof. Tahir Mamman had unveiled the Tertiary Education Research and Application Systems (TERAS) and Beneficiaries Identity Management System (BIMS) on October 17, 2023, at the Federal Ministry of Education Auditorium in Abuja.
That public presentation kick-started the laudable initiative which was driven by TETFund in partnership with Anthology and Blackboard team to promote a more inclusive ecosystem in tertiary institutions and provide a wide range of services to researchers and students.
It was equally designed to further enhance teaching and learning processes in tertiary institutions.
According to Echono, proficiency and digital literacy are not only beneficial but imperative for academic success and gainful employment.
He said: “In today’s digital world, proficiency in digital literacy is not just beneficial, it is also essential for academic success and employability. Many countries have successfully integrated digital literacy into their educational systems, reaping the benefits of improved teaching and learning outcomes and accelerated economic growth. With our large youth population and emerging technology industry, Nigeria is uniquely positioned to benefit from similar initiatives.
“However, our curriculum does not adequately address the digital skills required for modern workplaces and everyday life. Some of the identified gaps include lack of comprehensive digital literacy components in our existing curricula, which results in unprepared graduates who are unprepared for technology-driven job markets.
“Educators are as well not sufficiently trained or resourced to teach critical digital skills; infrastructure such as computers and reliable internet access is inadequate, as many tertiary institutions are either unserved or underserved.
“We do not have a digital literacy index to measure and benchmark our standards, and there is significant disparity in digital literacy and access between urban and rural areas, exacerbating educational and economic inequalities.”
To bridge this gap, Echono said that TETFund, as an interventionist agency, was supporting over 280 public tertiary institutions and has laid a strategic plan which will enable all students to attain digital literacy before graduating from the tertiary education system.
The TETFund boss also disclosed at the event that the agency has designed a phased integration plan across educational levels and was equipping educators in the country with necessary digital skills, facilitating critical partnerships with global bodies, and have established a National Centre of Excellence for Development of Digital Literacy and Emerging Skills.
Over 2000 participants were intimated with the activities and ambitious plans of TETFund, and efforts that have been made to domesticate learning management systems and also to effectively manage student’s information by deploying information systems.
TETFund has remained committed to building the capacity of members of staff of the various departments of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) from beneficiary tertiary institutions across the country.
Welcoming guests at one of the Fund’s programmes in Abuja, the Echono expressed the importance of ICT as an essential skill in the present world.
He recalled that from earlier presentations and the Fund’s policy roadmap, it has remained committed to sustaining efforts at digitalisation of systems, processes and academic content as well as ensuring that digital literacy is continuously being developed at its beneficiary institutions in the country.
He further pledged the determination of the Fund to bridge digital skills gap in beneficiary institutions so as to enable them to produce graduates that are globally competitive, innovative and entrepreneurial minded in attitude.
He added that given the rising significance of ICT across diverse sectors including education, the initiative holds immense potential to positively impact educators, students and the overall advancement of the educational landscape.
“As we continue to grapple with lean resources given the increase in the number of enlisted beneficiary institutions and student population, converged services have become pertinent to accelerate and improve the usage of Information and Communication Technology to advance the reach of teaching, learning and research in our beneficiary institutions and in the country at large,” Echono said.
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