Education
UBEC / NCDMB Strategic Partnership; Moving Basic Education From Blackboard to Smart Board
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
The efforts of the leadership of two prominent government agencies , the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC and Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board NCDMB is the desire to move the country from analogue to digital era in line with the global trend, but also to address essentially the scourge of Out of School Children OOSC that was becoming a norm inspite concerted efforts by the commission.
Since Basic Education is the foundation to all levels of Education to be acquired by our pupils and students , the moves could be regarded as timely and desiring in the current dispensation.
The partnership and the concept of collaboration between UBEC and NCDMB consummated through a Memorandum of Understanding MOU is a spring board towards containing permanently not only the scourge of Out of School Children OOSC, but wholistic migration of the system from the old order to the new digital technology.
with the consummation driven by the current technological advancement and disposition with focus on Smart Schools and Education at the Basic Education level , it is glaringly obvious , that aside out of school children OOSC, Infrastructural development and rejuvenation, administrative reorientation and advancement, robust policy framework and thrust , and competitive approach towards Basic Education development in Nigeria became imperative.
With UBEC having laid a solid foundation for digitization and technological advancement with the creation of 37 Smart Schools spread across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory FCT, which included all the six geopolitical zones and the establishment of the state of the art Digital Resource Centre (DRC), for seamless interconnectivity, trainings, capacity building driven by new global program of digitization and technological breakthrough.
The robust foundation that brought about synergy between two government agencies with one having the financial flare of intervention has open a new chapter of more collaboration between other government agencies, the private sector and organizations , as well as well to do individuals to key into the development of Basic Education spanned from the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) to Senior Secondary Schools (SSS).
It is also an eye opener for other high profile government agencies and the private entities like the NNPCL, NMDPRA, NUPRC, NPA, NIMASA, CBN, TETFUND , NSPMC, PENCOM, NSITF, ITF, FIRS among many others including Multinational oil companies to key into the needed collaboration so as to broker similar Memorandum of Understanding MOU with Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC, to expand the scope of management of Basic Education beyond government sponsorship and attention.
Having discovered the scope of coverage by the NCDMB to access rural areas and communities, no doubt, the impact of the new policy of technology impact/ transfer will attract uniform approach both at the urban and rural communities in the country.
With focus on the vulnerable areas of the North, South, South East and the West of Lagos state with special attention due to high population figure and coverage , as well as more infrastructure and manpower to accelerate Basic Education and Out of School Children OOSC constraints.
The NCDMB – UBEC Smart Schools Development Initiative tagged NUSSDI , a new collaboration that is capable of bringing to fruition robust policy on Basic Education and removing the intricacies of problems and difficulties towards the development of a well articulated learning process and outcomes in the country.
The convening of the Memorandum of Understanding MOU under the leadership of Dr Hamid Bobboyi as the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC was another improvement to impacting Basic Education on Nigerians at that level.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
In a bid to contribute to educational advancement and development, the Neo-Black Movement (NBM) of Africa, Obafemi Owode Sub Zone, under the Ogun Region, has donated educational materials to selected government primary schools in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The initiative aligns with the Support-A-School-Child Project, spearheaded by the national leadership of NBM, aimed at bolstering education across Nigeria.
The donation was presented by Ambassador Tehinse Olanrewaju Ayoola on behalf of the Obafemi Owode Sub Zone.
Speaking at the event, Ayoola emphasised that the gesture would be an ongoing effort, particularly considering that Obafemi Owode is the largest local government area in Ogun State.
He urged students to remain focused on their studies while steering clear of cultism, drug abuse, and other social vices.
According to him, guiding young students in the right direction is crucial in preventing them from straying onto the wrong path.
The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to NBM of Africa, Obafemi Owode Sub Zone, for their support and prayed for the continued growth of the movement.
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has unveiled its initiative to establish 18 new Innovation Hubs in tertiary institutions throughout Nigeria in 2025. This effort aims to bolster the nation’s research and innovation landscape.
During the closing ceremony of the 30th Cohort of the Research for Impact (R4i) initiative, held at the Innov8 Technology Hub in Abuja, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arch. Sonny Echono, shared the details of this ambitious project.
Echono emphasized that this initiative reflects TETFund’s dedication to nurturing a culture of problem-solving research, entrepreneurship, and technological progress. He highlighted the critical role of education and research in fostering national development and sustainable growth.
The R4i program, developed in partnership with Innov8 Technology Hub, is designed to enhance the capabilities of researchers and academics, empowering them to conduct innovative research that directly addresses societal challenges.
The Fund is committed to institutionalizing Research & Development (R&D) within Nigerian universities and fostering connections between research and industry. Echono explained that the phased establishment of Innovation Hubs and Entrepreneurship Centres will enable participants to apply their skills continuously and mentor others in their innovative endeavors.
He acknowledged the importance of research in enhancing the quality of life in the nation and expressed gratitude to Innov8 for its collaboration in transforming the innovation ecosystem. Participants were encouraged to leverage their training to develop impactful innovations for their institutions and communities.
“I am pleased to recognize the impressive commitment displayed by participants of previous cohorts during their training, which led to significant innovations addressing various societal needs,” Echono remarked.
He also noted that several innovations from prior editions were showcased at the inaugural TETFund National Research Fair/Exhibition in November 2024, and he expressed confidence that the current cohort would similarly demonstrate their innovative outputs.
Echono detailed the phased funding approach for establishing Innovation Hubs and Entrepreneurship Centres, stating that the first phase will involve 12 institutions under the 2023 intervention, followed by 18 institutions in the 2024 intervention, and another 18 in 2025.
“These facilities will empower program participants to implement what they have learned at the innovation hubs and guide others,” he added.
Professor Idris M. Bugaje, Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), also addressed the audience, underscoring the necessity of patenting innovations and registering trade names for intellectual property protection. He urged Nigerian polytechnics to spearhead practical innovation by applying scientific principles to develop products and technologies that could enhance Nigeria’s technological status.
Bugaje criticized the country’s dependence on foreign manufactured goods, such as vehicles and electronics, and called for a shift towards local production. He cited examples from Rwanda and Uganda, encouraging polytechnics to promote teamwork and take proactive measures to demonstrate Nigeria’s innovative capabilities, thereby contributing to the national economy.
“I believe many of the innovations you have showcased are patentable, as securing patents is a crucial step in innovation. You must protect your ideas and discoveries. Furthermore, if any names have been proposed, trade name registration is also essential,” he stated.
He emphasized the urgent need for innovation in Nigeria, reminding attendees that despite being one of the world’s largest economies, Nigeria lacks a recognizable indigenous technology. “This training is vital as it fosters teamwork, which is integral to the innovation process,” he concluded.
Mr. Edward Singhatey, Director at Innov8 Hub, encouraged participants to take the knowledge gained back to their institutions and share it with their students to foster innovation. “We must focus on commercializing our research,” he urged, motivating attendees to utilize the resources at their disposal effectively.
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) says it will partner with relevant agencies to boost Artificial Intelligence (AI) studies in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr Sonny Echono, said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
He said the Fund had drastically scaled up textbook production in addition to other initiatives such as ICT centres to position Nigeria as a leader in AI in Africa.
He said this was part of TETFund’s contribution to the nation’s quest to tap into the multi-trillion dollars global digital economy.
According to him, AI is one of the few subject areas where the Fund could send scholars abroad for further training because it had not fully developed in Nigeria.
“We don’t send anybody outside anymore. But AI is a new and expanding field. It is one of the few areas we are training people abroad because we want to lead in Africa,’’ he told NAN.
He said the Fund had supported the development of AI textbooks, covering topics such as AI in teaching and learning, ethics, and curriculum development.
Echono said the aim was to boost the use of AI and to get the tertiary institutions to begin to exploit and use it in teaching and learning.
He said that in addition to book development, TETFund had trained over 3,000 scholars in AI and emerging ICT trends in the last two years in collaboration with leading institutions.
He explained that the initiative had resulted in the ICT training of over 17,000 educators through the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) programme.
“We started with general ICT training because we’ve been doing a lot of ICT training. If the teacher is not ICT-savvy, even for him to put his lecture on the platform is a problem.
“For him to interact with the students on the platform or to send his mark, to do his marking scheme, to relate, to get presentations, even zoom meetings would be a problem he must be ICT literate.
“After that we started letting them understand how they can use ICT, how they can leverage on it to improve the quality of their delivery and the experiences of their students,” he said.
“We want to leapfrog others in ICT, robotics. We are coming very strong in robotics now, but we are late comers, some people are already doing it before us.
“But we don’t want anybody to be ahead of us on this continent. So we are pushing those frontiers,” he said.
Echono also said that the present TETFund management inherited a stagnated book development programme that published only 20 books in 13 years.
He said that upon assuming office in 2022, he challenged the book development committee to meet ambitious targets of producing more books.
“I said, in the first year, you must do 50, if not I’m going to disband it, we’re wasting money coming to do meetings, talking, and not seeing the books.
“Later, I said I want to see up to 100 books being published and they said it can be done. We’ll give you all the support, publicise and advertise to Nigerian authors.
“We identified the subjects where we do not have enough textbooks. We Tasked the professors and all the experts in that field to put things in order..
Echono said this challenge spurred the book development committee as TETFund published 50 books in 2023, another 60 shortly after with another tranche of 50 textbooks published recently.
He explained that another batch of 50 textbooks was currently in under production. (NAN)