Niger government, UNICEF train 675 teachers on digital literacy

As part of efforts to improve learning among children, the Niger State Ministry of Education and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with support from Global Partnership Education (GPE), have trained 675 teachers on digital literacy.

Education Officer, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Francis Elisha, explained that the three-day training was to equip teachers of primary and junior secondary schools with digital knowledge on how to use the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) in teaching.

Niger government recently launched the NLP, an e-learning platform with online mobile and offline capability that enables continuous access to quality education.

Elisha said that digital literacy was part of UNICEF’s response to bridge the learning gap using digital content, adding that for LP to be effective, there was a need for teachers to be digitally-inclined.

“It is a way of exposing teachers to digital literacy for learning through a digital platform, to bridge the learning gap between urban and rural areas, as the LP has the capacity to work online and offline.

“The LP platform provides effective learning for children at home, as it helps to address learning gaps and challenges children face or could face in times of emergency and crises just like they were faced with during COVID-19,” he said.

Supporting facilitator from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Abuja, Mr. Adebayo David, said the teachers were being trained to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to teach students, even from home.

He said the teachers were trained to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel to organise content to teach students using social media platforms such as Telegram, Zoom, WhatsApp, Google in times of emergency or crisis.

David added that the teachers were expected to go back to their schools and step down the training to other teachers for effective learning.

One of the teachers, Mrs. Rhoda Yakubu from Dr. Yahaya Primary School, Minna, said the training exposed her to the use of ICT to improve learning among children and thanked the organisers for the gesture.

Another teacher, Suleiman Mohammed from Liman Model Primary School, Minna, described the training as apt and pledged to incorporate digital learning in teaching children.

The training was for select teachers from Lapai, Kontagora and Minna. Theguardianng