Digitalizing teaching process: Need for full integration in Oyo public schools

Image source: Google

Digitalizing teaching process: Need for full integration in Oyo public schools

Fatai SANNI

Image source: Google

Present and past governments in Oyo state, as well as the federal government have put on their best towards digitilizing the process employed in the education sector. This is to ensure that our products meet up with the Soun extant global educational standards.

During the tenure of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala (late), laptops were distributed to teachers on installment repayment. This geared up many teachers to acquire ICT knowledge. OyoEdu portal was created as an effort to digitize record keeping in Oyo state schools. In the portal are E-lesson notes for different subjects, attendance register, students’ report sheets, staff data sheet and many more.

Also, there was sensitization by the ministry of education and the consultant employed under former Governor Abiola Ajimobi (late) towards ensuring that statutory records were kept electronically although the effort yielded little. Poor response at the initial stage I guess caused the government not to release hard copies of report cards to public schools. E-report sheets were expected to be released to the students.

Meanwhile, the effort received further support under His Excellency Engr Seyi Abiodun Makinde as public schools were ordered to release e-report sheets to the students.

Other efforts to digitize the education process include organization of workshops and seminars both at the federal and state levels. I vividly recollect a workshop with the theme, Digital Appreciation Program, organized by NCC in collaboration with three NGOs held at the School of Forestry, Jericho, Ibadan. This was a 5-day workshop, and participants were actively engaged. Also, Oyo state government in collaboration with NGOs trained teachers of public secondary schools on digitization of teaching process at one School of Science in Ibadan. Content creation in education, video editing, and vital educational apps were introduced and many other vital skills required to ensure Oyo state teachers are well equipped with digital knowledge were taught.

Other seminars tailored towards equipping teachers with digital knowledge were organized either by the state government or the federal government in collaboration with NGOs or UBEC. These were even organized on zonal basis, Kudos to the Oyo state government. Moreover, it is difficult to deny ICT facilities donated to some schools across Oyo state either by the state government, federal government (through NCC) or facilitated by Senator or House of Representatives’ members. NGOs or philanthropists also contributed their parts.

Why then do we still decide to stick to the analogue process? Assessment of students by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is now computer based. WAEC has adopted CBE for her first series. Private GCE examinations have seen migration from paper and pencil to hybrid – computer and paper based examinations. NECO has remarked through their Registrar that they have test run the CBE exam in some states and that they are ready to fully integrate into CBE. I believe NABTEB will soon adopt full digitization too. Many of the exams in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions having large candidates are now computer based.

Oyo state adopted digitization in recruiting teachers in the year 2021. The effort was lauded and World Bank appreciated the process through grant reward to the state. It is however an irony that those teachers employed via digital process are made to operate using analogue process. I imagine what the outcome of students that passed through the analogue teaching-learning process will be when they are assessed through digital process.

The teaching approach (cooperative learning, gig-saw, demonstration etc) adopted during this century is more student-centered, e-learning apps and videos are many, education content created by teachers serves as another source of income. Education according to Babs Fafunwa is from womb to tomb. Teachers teach and learn but the best way of learning is by practice. Full digitisation of the education process is essential in Oyo state public schools. This will benefit all stakeholders of education. Teaching and learning will occur beyond the four walls of the classroom and it will be difficult for any factor to disturb the teaching and learning process as the case of COVID ’19.

Sanni is CEO of A-Class Education Consults