Govt, private schools urged to take advantage of free online learning tools

WITH persistent shortages of qualified teachers, textbooks, instructional materials and non existing libraries, still constituting a major challenge in the education sector, in addition to complaints by parents over the unending hike in fees charged by private schools, stakeholders have called on governments at all levels and owners of private schools in Nigeria, to move away from the traditional classroom setting and embrace the “technology phenomenon.”
        Rather than installing between five and 20 computers just for publicity stunt, experts are calling on administrators to explore the learning opportunities available through other learning resources.
     For instance, while making a presentation during the launch of Opon Imo an electronic tablet that incorporates three major contents – textbooks, tutorials and practice questions in Osun state last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Country Director, Prof. Hassana Alidou revealed that many children in sub Saharan Africa were emerging from schools without acquiring writing, reading or numeracy skills.
          Okeoluwa Femi-Lawrence from Ilesa Grammar School, who was exposed to an interactive learning resource just within two months, admitted that she now finds reading much easier like never before. According to her, students whose parents could not afford textbooks would find digital textbooks and learning resources very useful.
      From Baptist High School, Deborah Olayemi, a Commercial SS2 student said, “our parents can only try to buy some textbooks because they cannot afford to buy all the textbooks. I have now improved in subjects such as Commerce, Economics and Accounting.”
      ICT teacher, Mr. Ade Fashina explained that most Nigerian schools were yet to effectively utilize the opportunities available through e-learning. According to him, schools across the country must begin to focus on how to deplore technology in virtually every aspect of learning. He said schools could take advantage of easily affordable textbooks and learning resources online to keep abreast with current and modern trends in teaching and learning.
        Meanwhile, processing chip manufacturers, Intel Nigeria, recently came up with a solution, designed for learners of all ages, and which provides rich, interactive learning materials such as books, examination papers, instructional videos and podcasts for students from the elementary to more advanced classes.    
      The Intel Explore and Learn Marketplace, a new education solution that provides access to a vast repository of free and low-cost digital text books and interactive learning resources, is intended to bring free engaging contents to Nigerian learners.
        Speaking at the unveiling of the solution, Intel’s Regional Sales Director for Turkey, Middle East and Africa, Ms. Cigdem Ertem explained that the solution “seeks to provide a resource hub, where learners can find relevant content to boost their studies, while at the same time, giving content providers access to a platform that enables the sharing of rich content.
      Highlighting the opportunities available to countries such as Nigeria if concerted effort was made to bridge the digital divide, she said: “As a company that’s been active in the education space for the last 40 years globally, we’ve seen how technology can drive clearly improved learning results and assist teachers by providing access to information and quality engaging content.”
      On the flexibility of the new platform, the Country Manager, Intel West Africa, Mr. Bunmi Ekundare said: “For us at Intel, we are not just focused on emerging technologies, but also on the best way to deploy these technologies to ensure that they are relevant to all stakeholders involved. This has informed our collaboration with Rancard, an African-based organization that provides cloud-based software for mobile content discovery and delivery.”
       Also speaking on the collaboration, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Rancard, Mr. Ehizogie Binitie noted that the challenge in the education sector learning outcomes still constitutes a major challenge across the continent.  According to him, the platform being deployed together with Intel for the African market “is an important step in solving this challenge.”
       Some teachers who confirmed using the platform attest to the fact that the content provided is relevant and match the Nigerian education curriculum adding that the platform is user-friendly, interactive and engaging.
      Students and educators can gain access to the Intel Explore and Learn Marketplace solution on Android or Windows devices with an internet connection. Users can visit www.intel.com/exploreandlearn  to access the application download page. Once the application is downloaded, they can find and acquire both free and for sale textbooks, instructional videos and exam preparation materials.