The federal government in collaboration with the UK FCDO-funded Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) programme, has developed a centralised e-learning platform in schools.

The platform is intended to have a positive impact on teaching and learning nationally, by creating a platform through which learners and teachers (basic school to tertiary institutions) can access high-quality curriculum-aligned educational resources.

The e-learning platform (elearn.education.gov.ng), developed by the Federal Ministry of Education’s ICT Department with technical support from PLANE, is designed to break barriers in teaching and learning.

The platform connects learners to a comprehensive database of interactive exercises, videos and texts that will help them explore and enrich their experiences with digital tools.

In addition, it seeks to complement trainings and provide access to learning-based content for teachers.

Speaking at a stakeholder’s workshop, themed: “Digital Learning Platforms, Accessibility and Inclusion”, held yesterday in Abuja, to showcase the centralised platform and digital gateway, known as eLearn, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, solicited stakeholders’ support towards achieving more access to quality education for learners at all levels.

Mamman, who spoke through his representative and Director of ICT Department in the ministry, Gbenga Aderemi, noted that education is critical for the attainment of sustainable development and improvement of the capacities of the human being to survive and contribute meaningfully to the society.

“We believe that our education system must prepare our youths to be able to produce mid and high-level manpower with the requisite skills needed to play an active role in the country’s drive for development. In addition, it must prepare our youth to take advantage of technology and the 21st Century knowledge-driven economy, “he said.

He spoke further: “Advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have extended the frontiers of education delivery. It has changed the world of work and indeed affected every sector of the economy.

“It also creates the opportunity for learning through the availability of online learning resources.”

He explained that government’s commitment to achieving technology integration in Nigeria is demonstrated in its policies, strategies and initiatives, some of which he listed as “articulation of policies that drive the development and deployment of ICT in education; Collaboration between the ministry and the private sector for the establishment of digital classrooms; Capacity building of teachers to create digital learning materials; Training of students on Digital literary in the federal unity colleges and the review of curriculum to reflect emerging trends and digitisation of content in appropriate media to stimulate the overall learning experience of the learner.”

He explained that the ministry also recently collaborated with Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria PLANE to develop a reference repository of eLearning resources to warehouse all available eLearning resources in the county.

“We hope that teachers, students and parents will access and take advantage of available eLearning resources to improve the standard of education in the country, “he said.

The minister used the occasion to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria PLANE for providing the technical support and for collaborating with Federal Ministry of Education in organizing this event.

In his goodwill remark, Senior Education Adviser, British High Commission, Ian Attfield, stated that technology such as digital education platforms, is transforming learning for students and professional development for teachers.

He urged stakeholders to factor in inclusion and accessibility, for instance, how learners and teachers in rural communities without access to modern technology can also benefit from learning resources.

According to him, this is important in order not to create a digital divide, which disproportionately affects women and girls.

The objectives of the stakeholder’s workshop are to raise awareness of the centralised Federal Ministry of Education’s eLearning platform, facilitate accessibility to high-quality digital learning platforms to promote knowledge and reduce the learning poverty gap and the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Others are to unlock digital accessibility through collaborations and partnerships, share digital learning platforms accessibility and inclusion considerations and highlight emerging policy issues in education technology to inform policies, regulation and governance.

Recall that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Ministry of Education developed e-learning platforms (Inspire and Ignite) and collaborated with UNICEF on the Nigeria Learning Passport.

With approximately 40,000 curriculum-aligned resources, the goal is to ensure uninterrupted learning and teaching during the shutdown.

On the 4th of August 2023, the Federal Ministry of Education requested for PLANE’s support to coordinate federal, sub-national and stakeholders’ digital resources on a centralised and consolidated platform. The department’s aim is a space through which learners and teachers can access high-quality curriculum-aligned resources.

Essentially, the platform is a gateway that creates a single-window access to eLearning sites in the country.

PLANE is a seven-year programme funded by the UK Government to enable a more inclusive, safe and effective education system in Nigeria. It realises the Government of Nigeria and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)’s shared commitment to deliver sustainable improvements in learning outcomes for Nigeria’s children.

The PLANE programme works with federal and state leaders, legislators, education providers, civil society, children and parents federally and in Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Borno, Yobe, the south-east and the south-west.

 

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