By Odimmegwa Johnpeter, Abuja
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has launched the first pilot edition of the National Adopted School for Smart Education (NASSE) at the Great Junior Secondary School Karshi in Abuja.
In his opening remarks at the launch of the NASSE, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) noted that NASSE is an implementation of the Nigeria Smart Initiative by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in the education sector, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, as a policy directive of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy led by Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami to aid the implementation of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a digital Nigeria. His words: “As part of our strategic objectives, we are to support every sector of the economy to succeed at this digital age.
“NDEPS, as the main driver of digital Nigeria, is in support of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in education, especially the Goal 4 on “Quality Education” and the campaign promise of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in education. NASSE is designed to accelerate the achievement of this global and national agenda by smartly engaging in “building and upgrading education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive with the provision of safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all”.
“It is a known fact that education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is a key to creating sustainable prosperity and escaping poverty. The world’s vision is to end the global education crisis and unleash the potential of the next generation. According to the United Nations, about 260 million children were still out of school in 2018. This is nearly one-fifth of the global population in that age group. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, a majority of countries announced the temporary closure of schools, impacting more than 91 percent of students worldwide. By April 2020, close to 1.6 billion children and youth were out of school. And nearly 369 million children who rely on school meals needed to look to other sources for daily nutrition.
“Never before had so many children been out of school at the same time, disrupting learning especially for the most vulnerable and marginalised. Such a global pandemic will always have far-reaching consequences that may jeopardize hard-won gains made in improving global education if drastic steps are not taken.
“The report by UNESCO stated that before the coronavirus crisis, the proportion of children and youth out of primary and secondary school had declined from 26 percent in 2000 to 19 percent in 2010 and 17 percent in 2018. “More than half of children that did not enroll in school live in sub-Saharan Africa, and more than 85 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are not learning the minimum”. These are not good statistics, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Something revolutionary and transformational must be done.
Delivering his speech at the event, the Honorable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, noted that the National Adopted School for Smart Education (NASSE), Initiative is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s Next Level and Digital Economy agenda. He further noted that the digitalization of every sector in Nigeria will accelerate the digital economy of our dream. Education he stated is the backbone of a nation’s prosperity as allows a country and individual to hold a competitive edge in the ever-advancing technological world and reach their full potential. According to Pantami, the purpose of education is to teach children to think intensively and critically. He also stated that this can be more realistic if they are exposed to education at a young age. NASSE is a model of catching our young ones early enough into the world of technology in a more productive way particularly in the education sector.
His words: “The goal of education is not only to increase the amount of knowledge but to create the possibilities for a child to invent and discover, to “create men who are capable of doing new things. It is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world and Nigeria for the better. No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness, and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. One of the tools for unlocking the treasure is digital technology-enabled education.
“The Institute for Academic Development defines digital education as the innovative use of digital tools and technologies during teaching and learning to enhance educators’ ability to design engaging learning opportunities in the courses they teach, and these can take the form of blended or fully online courses and programmes.
“As a country, we lost totally in the past industrial age. In this digital age, with the increased proliferation of new technologies and innovations, going digital in all sectors of the economy is the optimal route to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for any government. There should be no doubt that digitization of the economy is one of the most critical issues of our time.
“Having realized this, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, re-designated the Federal Ministry of Communications as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on October 17, 2019. The change was officially endorsed at the Federal Executive Council on October 23, 2019, and the process of implementing a digital economy for the country began on October 24, 2019. The re-designation reflects the focus of Mr. President to lay emphasis on the need to build a digital economy.
“Building a strong digital economy requires the integration of digital technologies and innovations in all sectors. It is a task that requires transformational leadership and strategic partnerships sector-wide. This is what we have been providing ever since we were entrusted with the mandate of leading the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
“To give strategic direction to the digital economy agenda of the Federal Government, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria was developed, unveiled, and launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on November 28, 2019. The NDEPS is based on the following 8 pillars: 1. Developmental Regulation; 2. Digital Literacy and Skills; 3. Solid Infrastructure; 4. Service Infrastructure; 5. Digital Services Development and Promotion; 6. Soft Infrastructure; 7. Digital Society and Emerging Technologies; and 8. Indigenous Content Promotion and Adoption.
In today’s digital world, digital education is at the heart of a digital economy. If you critically examine the eight pillars, they are major enablers of digital education. For example, developmental regulation is key to open up digital education space. It is our responsibility to issue and implement policies that will promote massive access to education through digital technologies. The regulation regime will ensure digital education is promoted rather than being stifled.
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/nitda-launches-first-pilot-edition-of-national-adopted-school-for-smart-education/
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