FG launches e-learning platform to boost open education

The Federal Government on Tuesday launched a robust e-learning platform that will promote open education in Nigeria as well as provide access to high quality and certified content for both learners and teachers in basic, secondary, and tertiary levels of education.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who launched the e-learning platform in Abuja, said this would not only help in addressing the challenge of out-of-school children but facilitate delivery of education-for-all by leveraging on technology.

He said the e-learning platform being launched is web-based and designed to bring the classroom closer to the people and that those who have access to the Internet could access it, while various channels including radio, television among others would be used, saying the content would be dropped on various media taking into consideration learners in the rural areas.

He said there was no way the government could provide adequate classrooms and teachers required in conventional or regular modes of teaching and learning, adding that 2 million Nigerians could use the e-learning facilities at the same time.

Adamu who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Arc Sonny Echono, said, as one of the most populous countries in the world and the most populous on the African continent, Nigeria recognizes the imperative of scaling up access to technologies and digital skills to improve job prospects for youth in the fast-changing and digitalized economy.

He added that the advent of COVID-19 heralded a new normal – compelling a rethink and acceleration of strategies in alternative means of delivering learning.

He recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education had developed a COVID-19 Education Sector Strategy and updated its online portal for sharing resources across the country.

“We felt by leveraging on technology, we would be able to expand access because we will no longer be limited by the spaces available. From the comfort of your home, workshop, market shop, or at 2 am at night, you can access the content and learn without limitation of time.

“We have to also join the rest of the world in embracing knowledge economy in a digital age and this will make all our schools from primary, secondary to tertiary more competitive and enjoy a better learning experience,” he said.

He said the e-learning platform was initiated and developed by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with technical partners as a baseline model.

Adamu explained that the e-learning platform has two components; Inspire for learners and Ignite for teachers and educators as free, curated, and collaborative access econtent models.

He disclosed that as part of the e-Cloud Project and Inspire, the Ministry has so far produced the following content:
4,000 video lessons for basic level; 7,000 video lessons for secondary level and 4,000 audio lessons for secondary level.

The Minister further explained that the Ministry working with Galaxy Backbone, the ICT Department has reserved 20TB of server space for the eCloud Project, saying most of this would be allocated to econtent and another component of the eCloud, the Open Education Data Project launched in 2020.

“To ensure quality and veracity, only Teachers’ Registration Council (TRCN) registered teachers will be allowed to register, by including a TRCN number required during the registration process.

“Ignite seeks to empower educators with ready tools, a knowledge base, and much-needed material, templates, and formats that will enable better learning delivery in a more agile, productive, and efficient way, bringing the best out of teachers,” he said.

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