From correspondent in Minna.
Nine out of the 25 Local Government Areas of Niger state benefited from the Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) projects of the United Kingdom and implemented by UNICEF between 2012 and 2021,
Also, a total of 675 teachers selected from; Kontagora, Lapai and Minna (Chanchaga and Bosso) Local Government Areas been trained on digital literacy to enhance their professional performances in line with global standards.
UNICEF Education Officer, Kaduna Field Office, Mr. Francis Elisha who disclosed this also said the three-day training was to equip the teachers in primary and Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) classes with relevant digital knowledge on how to use learning passport in their daily teaching.
According to him, “As part of efforts to improve learning in children, Niger state Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF, supported by Global Partnership Education (GPE) has been able to train 675 teachers on digital literacy to bridge learning gap”..
Elisha said, Niger state government’s recent launching of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), an online e-learning platform with online mobile and offline capabilities is to enable continuous access to quality education with the support from UNICEF and other donor agencies.
Digital literacy was part of the UNICEF responses towards bridging the learning gap by using digital contents, adding that for the NLP to be effective there was the urgent need for teachers in Niger state to be digitally inclined.
“The training is part of efforts to expose the beneficiaries to digital literacy for learning through digital platforms, this is to bridge learning gaps between pupils and students the urban and rural areas as the LP have the capacity to work online and offline”.
Mr. Elisha also revealed that the UNICEF, FCDO UK GEP 3 interventions were being implemented in 9 Local government areas in Niger state namely; Shiroro, Edati, Mariga, Agaie, Mashegu, Gbako, Rafi, Munya and Kontagora.
Meanwhile, a case has been made for education support programmes and interventions facilities to be more in rural areas instead of urban concentration to enable pupils in rural areas meet up academically with their counterparts in rural areas.
Usman Baddegi, in an interview during a facts-finding visit to some rural communities where the UNICEF, FCDO, UK sponsored intervention programmes were being implemented in Gbako Local Government Area argued that attention should not be only in urban areas.
Baddegi argued that, it is very important and necessary to bridge the education gap between the two groups because both deserved same standards and anything on the contrary will place those in the urban areas and cities above their rural counterparts in areas of performances.
Commending donor agencies, including the UNICEF for championing the cause of ensuring that pupils in the area benefitted from the various facilities, Usman Baddegi encouraged parents to avail themselves the opportunity by not restricting their wards from participating.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
