Digital Learning Revolution in Nigeria Amid Covid19

By

Emordi Promise Jude

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1809-7958

Learning is as old as human civilization. The civilization mission around the world would not be complete if the powers of education, science and technology were neglected. The advent of covid-19 global health crisis did not only take the world by surprise. Rather, it has revealed the fact that the wheels of civilization cannot be distorted for so long, this is because the powers of science and technology as the major drivers of globalization has to be invoked further, with the aim of keeping the global economy in a life support while the crisis last. Before the arrival of the pandemic around the world, only few advanced countries of the world were able to embrace the digital learning revolution. Others are yet to determine if the digital revolution should be incorporated into the education institutions in form of education technologies replacing the real life teaching and learning activities.

There exist divergent perceptions as regards the revolution in the digital world. Critics from developing countries like Nigeria often look at it from the lenses of machines trying to replace human social processes. However, the Coronavirus pandemic, actually aided the transition of academic activities from the institutions of learning into the comfort zone of the learners. This great digital learning transition paved the way for many countries like Japan, London and the Netherlands to keep teaching and learning activities going on even when their various citadel of learning has shut their doors at the learners in order to observe the global public policies against Covid-19.

In the Nigerian situation, only few universities mostly, Admirantly University of Nigeria (ADUN) sailed through with an un-distorted academic calendar during and after the Covid-19 lockdown strategies. While many Federal and State Universities are busy offering infinitesimal online programmes, the Admirantly University of Nigeria was busy utilizing the digital revolutionalized learning technologies to drive and sustain quality education to her students.

The focus of this article is to examine the federal government efforts during the Covid-19 lockdown period, as regards the use of digital/ICT facilities in driving the learning never stop programmes for the youths and the various stakeholders of the MDAs in Nigeria. Likewise, the article will further look into the digital Nigeria platform that was launched in September 2020, in order to evaluate its impacts so far.

In order to realize the above and transit into digital learning platform in a Covid-19 global health crisis period, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) through its Academy for Research and Training (NART) initiated the Learning Never Stops Programme. The aim of this programme includes; to assist students, Nigeria citizens that are stakeholders in the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), stay updated through exposure to basic ICT skills that will enhance their learning never ends prospect in partnership with CISCO systems incorporated, and Huawei Technology.

The following are the objective of the learning never stops digital skill acquisition programme: to enhance businesse continuity during the Covid-19 disaster period through online distance digital education platforms

Facilitating the training and capacity building of the various MDAs employees through the development of digital skills that are needed towards improving government services

Creating a pool of Nigerian youths with digitally driven marketable skills needed to drive the 21st century digital economy

Bridging the gap between industries and academia

Improving learning access through technologies.

Looking at the laudable objectives of the learning never stops programme amid Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria, it is logical to question the viability of these digital learning revolution in a country like Nigeria. This is because Nigeria lacks the needed infrastructures to kick-start and sustain a digital learning revolution. Two major drivers of a digital learning revolution lies in power (electricity) and internet accessibility and sustainability. As of January 2020, there are 85.49 million internet users in Nigeria. This constitutes a +2.6% users increase between 2019 and 2020. In the year 2020, internet penetration in Nigeria stood at 42% see source at (DATAREPORTAL).

In the aspect of electricity, a UN June 2020 report noted that only 57% Nigerians had access to electricity. Numerically, this means that out of the estimated 195.8 million populations in Nigeria as of 2018, only 110.7 million of the population has access to electricity.

Consequently, the programme is currently not available for interested learners in a post-lockdown era.

The federal government also initiated the Digital Nigeria programme in March 19, 2020. The portal was launched in September 28, 2020. The programme aimed at equipping innovators and entrepreneur’s with the right digital skills needed in order to build and solidify government efforts geared towards unmasking a digital economy.

The federal government collaborated with the African Development Bank and Microsoft in order to drive the programme.This programme, however, place more emphasis on skills ove degree certificates. Thus, degrees are expected to validate skills and not degrees surpassing digitally acquired skills in a global digital economy. (A digitally literate and skilled individual is a potential instrument for national development in the digital sphere of their respective countries). To this end, Nigerian youths are urged to tap into the digital literacy and skill acquisition bandwagon by enrolling through the following websites: https://digitalnigeria.gov.ng or https://academy.nitda.gov.ng . A digital Nigeria registration and training portal was also designed which is downloadable at Google play store for participants to learn and earn a certificate of completion for the various courses learnt.

The courses offered ranges from basic digital skills like; work with computers, communicate online, digital literacy test, Microsoft office 365 etc. while the intermediate digital skills includes; data science, JavaScript fundamentals, software development. The advanced digital skill covers HTML application development, networking fundamentals, security. Entrepreneurial skill level courses like researching the market, making the sale, managing my business, expanding my business etc. Soft skills level courses include how to find my dream job and CV planning.

The same set back that will likely undermine the Never Stops Learning programme is likely to distort this same initiative. Besides power and internet connectivity, most participants of these programmes must subscribe to a data plan since most of the courses are taught through online streamed videos and electronic word document format that can be downloaded at the end of each course. Thus, an average monthly subscription is needed to complete at least five courses. This will also constitute a financial burden to the participants whom are mainly unemployed youths.

Although, certificate of completion is downloadable upon finishing each course modules. Nevertheless, once a result is downloaded by a successful participant, such a participant can manipulate the software application by changing the name he or she used in registering at the users profile menu and then insert names of people who did not participate in order to generate a completion certificate for such individuals.

The programme developers should specify some number of days for a full course to be completed. This is because; a participant can earn three to four certificates within 4 to 5 hours, which is an abuse of certificate.

Meanwhile, how many Nigerian youths have the basic education that is needed in order to assimilate the digital learning contents? Besides, most youths in the rural and coastal areas lacks the needed electronic devices in order to participate as active learners in the programme.

However, when these lapses have being fixed, there is need for youths to be sensitized at the Federal, State and Grassroot level, based on the need for them to embrace the opportunities embedded in the digital literacy skills. This in the end will take care of unemployment crisis, by absorbing those with the needed skills in strategic digital economy outreach.