Why e-Teaching is knocking down e-learning in Nigeria

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:46:00
e-Teaching is a new and evolving concept and involves the use of ICT to enhance the art of teaching. Online (or e-learning) tools may be employed to support students learning as a supplement to face-to-face teaching. This is because e-learning also promotes Internet awareness and further exploitation.
While e-learning depends on a well-designed computer based courseware that allows students teach themselves, e-teaching is the facilitation of live teaching with ICT resource tools. These include interactive video conferencing that bridges cultural geographical and time boundaries.
Also e-mail, interactive whiteboards, intranet, Internet, virtual libraries, streaming video and audio among others are effective in e-learning.
Challenges to e-teaching in Nigeria include;
• Under-funding of the education sector- with the current fund allocated to the sector put side by side with the cost of IT equipment needed to facilitate e-teaching in all public schools and the willingness of the federal government to further boost learning, this might well be a pipe dream. It is estimated that less than five percent of the nation’s resources is committed to education. This needs to be improved upon. A gradual start, most probably from higher institutions would not be out of place. The Federal Government needs to do more and make concerted efforts at digitalizing our institutions. The private sector of course has a role to play, but the Federal Government should initiate moves aimed at using the already existing public, private partnership (PPP) to fund the project.
• Low IT skills among teachers. ICT in Nigeria seems to be left to the youth. This trend has kept the older generation in the dark and excluded them (or they themselves) from the much touted digital revolution. This trend has also affected teachers who believe that the new evolution should be left for the youth, while they continue in the old tradition that excludes technology. However the requirement for teachers, if e-teaching would be made to impact positively in Nigeria , should not be computer literacy but advanced knowledge of computers.
• Low bandwidth – (role of NigComSat 1) it is asserted that the bandwidth available to a family in the US is more than the bandwidth available in some Nigerian universities.
The launch of the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat 1), launched into space in May 2007, is meant to address the issue by providing the much needed bandwidth shortage to satisfy local needs and export.
Also the Schools, Universities Access Program to Digital Life Style (SUAP2DLS), under the NCC’s Universal Service Provision (USP) is designed to provide broadband connectivity to schools, universities and neighboring communities with particular focus on the rural areas.
• Investment in infrastructure. Including software and whiteboards
Experts agree that for the country to move forward technology-wise, there must be concerted effort to drive the 3G, Wifi (Wireless Fidelity) and WiMax technologies in the country. This drive needs funding
• Poor power supply.
This is a major bane as the power sector has defied every form of improvement bid.
Stakeholders in the telecommunications sector have recommended alternative power supply via solar energy or fossil fuels. This recommendation, if implemented would go a long way in ensuring that schools are kept on 24/7 power supply and at a cheap rate.
Although the private sector has been trying to empower schools and educational institutions to be IT compliant, if e-teaching is to be effectively executed in the country, more should be done to further empower these schools.
In this regard, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) has provided ICT training for several hundreds of students from the schools that benefited from the Digital Appreciation Program (DAP). Another program, the Advanced Digital Appreciation Program – Tertiary (ADAPT) is aimed at meeting the identified need of training lecturers in Nigerian universities to prepare them to use ICTs both for their work and as aid for web-based training and learning.
The current funding for education in Nigeria is so meager that attempting to introduce any meaningful e-teaching might be frustrating.
A law should also be pursued that would ensure that private school adhere to certain laid down policy on e-teaching.
原文链接：http://www.businessdayonline.com/?c=124&a=1170
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