Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved N1b for the training of basic-level teachers across the 27 local government areas of the state.

Zulum announced the approval on Tuesday while inaugurating the newly appointed local government education secretaries who will administer the affairs of primary education in their respective LGAs.

The training, according to Governor Zulum, would cover teachers who do not have teaching qualifications but were found to be trainable based on the record of the competency test conducted.

Speaking at the 13th Teaching and Learning Conference in Accra, organized by Lincoln Community School in collaboration with The Educators Network (TEN) last Saturday in Accra, Prof. Sutherland Addy emphasized the value of such initiatives in fostering peer review and expanding teachers' insights.

The conference, themed "Sankofa: Reflecting, Embracing, Adapting," drew participation from 600 educators representing diverse private and public schools. Prof. Sutherland Addy commended the focus on teacher well-being and the opportunity for educators to engage, exchange ideas, and explore innovative teaching methodologies.

Highlighting the importance of incorporating Ghanaian cultural heritage into teaching practices, particularly language, symbols, and music, Prof. Sutherland Addy stressed its role in promoting cultural awareness among students.

A leading digital learning platform, GotoCourse has concluded plans to train over 1000 teachers on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to enhance teaching and learning experiences, making education more personalized, efficient, and engaging.

The founder and chief executive officer of GotoCourse, Dr Sucess Ojo said this recently at a press conference organized by GotoCourse in Ibadan.

The Gotocourse boss noted that training teachers to be able to use AI tools for efficient performance is so essential for teachers around the world, especially in Africa because of the boundless opportunities that AI offers teachers.

Stakeholders in the education sector have canvassed the need for innovative solutions to raise the quality of output in Nigeria’s basic education system.

At a workshop facilitated by Founder of Nextier, Patrick Okigbo III, featuring Dr. Adefeso-Olateju, an education policy expert they submitted that focusing on the potential of private schools for the poor to solve Africa’s educational challenges, while highlighting the importance of quality, accessible education in driving sustainable development was key to changing the tide of low output.

The participants all agreed that such solutions can come through leveraging low-fee private schools as well as enhancing teacher training and public-private partnerships.

Two UK-based Non-Governmental Organisation, IA-Foundation and PSJUK are set to launch a Westminster Report at the United Kingdom House of Parliament entitled Illiteracy and Insecurity-An Unholy Marriage.

Speaking on this development, The Founder/CEO of IA-Foundation, Mrs Ibironke Adeagbo said the report will analyze the relationship between education and insecurity across the 36 states, and the FCT in Nigeria.

Mr Ayo Adedoyin, the CEO of PSJUK, noted it will discuss the causes, trends, and the implications of high rate of insecurity on the development of education at all levels in Nigeria.

Initiated immediately after the adoption of the Incheon Declaration on SDG4 in 2015, and backed by USD 12 million support from the Republic of Korea, the project's foresight into the digital transformation of education found unanimous validation among the participants of this working meeting.

This gathering also marked the successful conclusion of the second phase of the project in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal and the commencement of the third phase in Namibia, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Reflecting on the significance of the African Union Year of Education, Ms Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, suggested that this could even be seen as A Year of Digital Learning given the possibilities for African countries to use technology to “leapfrog” progress.

Despite commendable efforts, 70% of children in Eastern and Southern Africa lack access to quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) (UNICEF, 2023), facing barriers such as inequity, policy gaps, and financial constraints.

Acknowledging this pressing need in Eastern Africa, UNESCO reintroduced the Tashkent Declaration at the Eastern Africa Regional Early Childhood Conference (EARC2024) to ensure stakeholders’ efforts and commitments to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.2.

UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa recommended engaging literate and digitally savvy youth in ECCE, professionalizing young mothers and men, raising knowledge among males in childcare services, breaking gender norms, and combating unemployment.

The Executive Director of Development lmpact On Pathfinders Initiative, Glory Amara Brendan-Otuojorglor has called for more investment in women and girls’ education as part of efforts toward positioning women for leadership positions.

She said this at an International Women’s Day Webinar organised by Centre for 21st Century lssues. According to her, critical gaps in funding and resources for education, skills development and mentorship impact the ability of young women to realise their full potential as leaders.

She said many women were rising to positions of leadership around the world and in traditionally male-dominated industries, but are still underrepresented in many sectors globally. She noted that in the country, there is a pronounced imbalance in gender appointments.

Grooming Endowment Teacher Appreciation Programme (GETAP) is set to support 12 teachers, two from each geo-political zones in the country with the sum of N200,000 and other resources.

This is to appreciate teachers from underserved communities who are having an impact in the educational sector.

According to GETAP’s spokespersons, Michael Adegoke and Orji Emmanuel, the initiative was set up to reward and encourage these individuals for their hard work, dedication and innovation, while helping to reduce the number of out-of-school children.

Co-Founder, Future Work Africa, Mr Mayowa Tijani, has called for the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence in the Nigerian curriculum to meet up with future work needs.

Speaking on Thursday at the unveiling of a report by ‘Future Work Africa, titled Designing Africa’s future of work,’ Tijani explained that there was a need to teach learners about relevant skills and power generation needed for the future.

The report, ‘Future Work Africa,’ unveils the opportunities in Africa’s evolving economy and provides insights to young people across the continent to take up skills relevant to the future of work.

According to UNESCO, the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 is dependent on opportunities and challenges posed by technology, with technology appearing in six out of the 10 targets on education.

The implication of digital technology is that education systems have begun producing enormous amounts of data. Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, the Chief Minister and Chief Innovation Officer of the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone, is quoted in this report saying, “…When it works well, the data we generate in our education system is the best guide for the policies we need to implement to make things better.”

The March edition of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Mondays Africa explored how the continent’s educational leaders and policymakers can use big data to develop organizational capacity and improve outcomes for students, educators, and their communities.

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.