Prospects of Nigeria achieving ‘Education for All’ by 2015
Posted: April 25, 2013 Filed under: Education | Tags: Education, Education for all, educational scenario in Nigeria, UNICEF advocating education in Nigeria Leave a comment »Education is the basic human right that should be feasibly accorded to all human beings. It is the key index to economic and social development of a country. However, the educational scenario of a country is related to several factors of which growing population is one. Nigeria is one such instance, which witness exponential growth in population that has direct impact on the country’s infrastructure and resources. This has triggered immense burden on educational growth, though a few potential initiatives have brought education to spotlight through eradicating challenges. Now, the mission is to ensure prospects of education for all in Nigeria by the year 2015.
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Nigeria, in the Educational Light
Nigeria aims at achieving quality education for every man, woman, girl and boy. The ultimate mission is to work with excluded and poor so as to establish their rights to quality basic education. Undeniably, there has been staunch initiative so far in the educational light and there has been some significant growth at the elementary level, but Nigeria has still to strive ahead of many challenges, which is posing as the biggest menace at present.
Education in Nigeria:
- The Biggest Challenges
The ever-rising population is one of the reasons for Nigeria’s deplorable education scenario. About 40 percent of the total population in the country is aged between 6 and 11, and do not attend primary school. More shocking, about 4.7 million children who are of primary age does not go to school. In an age where education is catered through technologically advanced tools, Nigeria is still witnessing classes beneath trees with one teacher assigned to 100 pupils. Besides, girls are still in the backseat and the revealing ration of 1:2 for girls against boys is even more shocking. [Source]
To reveal a more dreadful estimate, ten million of total Nigerian children are deprived of formal education. Dr. Rosemary Nwangwu, Director General (DG) of Centre for Non-Formal Education and Training revealed that this is sheer indicator of the fact that one against every school aged children is not attaining formal education. [Source]
However, amidst so much of drawbacks all hope is not lost with some current initiatives taken in the light of education in Nigeria. Though the statistical records are not so convincing, Nigeria shows new dawn of hope. Here is how.
- Education in Nigeria: Prospective Initiatives
Just like every dark cloud has a silver lining, Nigeria is at the threshold of waking to a new dawn of hope. With efforts in achieving United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals 2015, Dr. Rosemary Nwangwu believes that collective efforts invested in achieving Education for All (EFA) is one of the biggest initiatives. As declared by government that very country has access to basic education reveals the fact that every child should be educated. To this end, Dr. Rosemary Nwangwu urged government to incorporate viable strategies that would rectify the abnormality in Nigeria’s education structure so as to attain MDGs mandate in context of education for the future of the country. [Source]
Especially, the last few years have been observing hopeful changes since the launching of the Universal Basic Education Act. A lot has been achieved in the construction of new buildings and dilapidated school buildings. There has been supply of required furniture and desks and there have been a lot of provisions for toilet facilities. Recently, UNICEF has been taking initiative towards advocating school friendly concept, though the plan is now at its primary stage. [Source]
The initiatives taken for promoting education in Nigeria has been strong so far but there is yet to be more staunch efforts and strategies to be introduced to reverse Nigeria’s educational scenario for the good. Only then, we can hope for a more developed Nigeria in future.
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Nigeria to Undergo Massive Improvements in their Educational Standards over Time
Posted: April 4, 2013 Filed under: Education | Tags: e-learning in Nigeria, projects in Nigeria, situation of colleges in Nigeria 3 Comments »A traditional belief that the entire world has been accepting for years is that African nations lag behind others in establishing pleasant educational standards for students and career aspirants. Well, it’s news that the World Bank has decided to spend US $450 million behind a couple of projects in Nigeria which will result in the enhancement of employment opportunities for young students. Secondly, the reason behind such a huge investment is bringing improvement in the quality of education for school children of the West African nations.
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Job prospects & educational standards to rise in Nigeria
According to Professor Misbau Akanji, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, the quality of education is on the rise in Nigeria. He said quite enthusiastically that expectations among students for higher education here are increasing since a good number of people have shown interests towards pursuing tertiary education. Moreover, the initiative of the World Bank has raised his spirits high and has rather made him confident that the unemployed can now dream of grabbing numerous job opportunities.
Unstable electricity issues to resolve soon in Nigeria
Owing to the advent of the internet, several school, colleges and universities have drastically changed their perceptions. Earlier, securing a ‘P’ in English was considered mandatory to enter into several career fields. Today, it’s the age of e-learning that has broken all conventions and compulsions, and has instead showed the African nations to prosper in diverse ways. In this respect, Mr. Akanji however said that the factor that tortured a lot of African nations in terms of education was unstable electricity. For this, several universities failed to set fixed hours for lectures that compelled students to miss a good number of classes.
Today, the majority of e-learning schools in Nigeria have therefore started using tape recorders for recording lectures so that students can access them easily from any corner and at anytime they wish. The teachers and professors have expressed supreme confidence towards the fact that the issue related to the availability of power will soon resolve which will result in the realisation of the potentials of online education.
YESSO brings a prominent ray of hope for Nigerian education
When asked about the deterioration of technical colleges in Nigeria, Professor Akanji confessed that this was one of the factors that needed to be checked in time. There are many students residing in Nigeria who desire to join technical colleges in expectation of building thriving careers. Now, if they are compelled to join polytechnics or local institutes, the nation will never be able to gift bright futures to their students.
So, all are eyeing upon the three hundred million dollar project, named YESSO (Nigeria Youth Employment and Social Support Operation). The project will be focusing on the poor youth as well as 10% of the poorest households of the participating states. Those aged from 18 to 35 will be not only given work opportunities and training skills but the weaker sections will also be able to access social services.
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Online learning achieving success in Nigeria
Moreover, the government through this project will aim to strengthen the social safety net system of Nigeria thereby making the country strong enough to set educational standards for students as well as working professionals. In fact, many technologically advanced online course provider have already started offering online courses in Nigeria by letting students make use of several mobile devices like kindles, tablets, smartphones and iPads. One such course provider can be found here. This has rather led to a pretty good success rate in comparison to what had been in the early years.
Nigeria certainly has covered miles in becoming technologically richer, and with the progress of time, it is highly predicted to catch up with the educational standards set by the developed countries. The Ministry of Education however will be highly expected to take such matters into consideration.
OLPC Project to Raise Academic Standards of Nigerian Students
Posted: March 11, 2013 Filed under: Education | Tags: Education, Education Ministry, Implementing ICT in schools, Laptop, Nigeria, Nigerian education, OLPC, One Laptop per Child, Primary school Leave a comment »If there had been any vital initiative for education taken on behalf of the Nigerian government, it’s the ‘One Laptop Per Child’ (OLPC) project. It was in March 2007 when the OLPC Foundation came up with XO laptops and distributed them to the children of Nigeria’s Galadima Primary School of the 4th, 5th and 6th standard. These XO laptops were asked to be carried from home to school on a daily basis by each and every child. Indubitably, they served well in the context of Nigerian education from March to December 2007.
One Laptop Per Child (Photo credit: MsLiberty)
Owing to this amazing initiative, the teachers employed in the school took opportunities to develop their class activities. The intention of the teachers was to:
- Set goals that can stand compatible with those set in the public schools
- They wanted to bring changes in the educational programs so that students can keep gaining knowledge and update themselves with time
- By bringing developments in the learning modes, they aimed to transform all those passive learners into active constructionists who will be able to investigate, collaborate and create solutions for all sorts of issues.
- By collaborating with each other and having discussions about their activities, teachers can also lead to good teamwork which will further help them to train students.
Revised OLPC Project was ready to undertake
Professor Ruqayyatu Rufai, the education minister of Nigeria came up with a declaration that the One Laptop Per Child Project has undergone modifications and is therefore in progress to undertake both at the state and federal levels. The announcement was made at the World Forum on Education in London. It was even heard that nearly one million laptops were procured under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo with the intention to promote Information and Communications Technology (ICT) amongstudents in Nigeria.
OLPC proved wrong, yet hopes were still alive
It was just a year later that the education experts declared the OLPC project to be faulty. They were not able to catch the significance of the set objectives of the project. As a result, they asked the OLPC proponents to conduct thorough reviews as soon as possible.
Mr. Rufai firmly asserted that the project was looking quite active and didn’t collapse. In fact, the government was constantly encouraging several ways of implementing ICT in schools. For instance, the Ministry of Information Technology and the Education Ministry provided laptops to different schools from time to time.
one laptop per child! note the CC sticker (Photo credit: laihiu)
OLPC on the path of progress
According to the education minister, it was really not possible to get laptops to each and every student. However, constant efforts were put to deliver laptops to students as many as possible. In fact, he was quite enthusiastic from the immense success achieved in the girl child education. Rufai seemed to be confident that they were gradually moving towards making the OLPC project a big success among students. He said enthusiastically that Nigeria is gradually progressing to give rise to a bunch of smart learners.
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The Contribution of Education to World Economy
Posted: February 15, 2013 Filed under: Education | Tags: Economic Growth and Education, Education and Growth, Educators, Higher education Leave a comment »
“True Progressivism: The new politics and inequality” by The Economist Oct 13, 2012
Education is a widely accepted leading instrument for promotion and development of world economy. But what level or degree of education does the contribution: Primary, secondary or higher education? Intelligence-based competition within a globalized economy is actually encouraging a fresh consideration of the pivotal role of higher education in the world economy. It has become an essential part of economic endeavors at all levels of national initiatives to boost competitiveness, economic growth and productivity.
The Benefits of Higher Education for the Society:
Higher education is a result of copious income that can produce both private and public benefits. More contributing, it can improve a nation’s wealth, health can also contribute towards a nation’s reduced population growth and strengthen governance and improve technology. Study shows that higher education significantly contributes to rapid industrialization of the world economy, by contributing to manpower with technical, professional and managerial skills. The best part is profound and research-based knowledge is helpful for workers of every stratum to contribute to the world economy.
Higher education is inevitable for the current context of change in world economy. It helps in creating attitudes and making attitudinal changes required for modernization and socialization of the individuals. The biggest benefit of higher education is that it helps in the formation of a nation based on a strong foundation and at the same time enables globalization.
Higher Education in the Context of Economic Growth:
The valuable contribution of higher education to world economy cannot be ignored since it plays instrumental in creating interactive functions. It is believed that one’s educational qualification contributes to world economy through efficient “production of knowledge”. It is acknowledged that colleges and universities contribute significantly to national growth through dissemination and diffusion of knowledge. Besides, it is universally believed that the reputed post-secondary institutions majorly contribute to the transmission of knowledge through varied and extensive teaching activities.
The Online Phenomenon and its Active Contribution to World Economy:
You might wonder how the electronic medium, the internet, is contextualized in terms of the concept of higher education. Though, it is discussed how higher studies can bring radical changes to a nation’s growth and world economy, eventually; you should have access to higher courses always. Social aspects and economic constraints act as barriers to attending conventional institutions for people in many countries. A full-time occupation plays a major role in preventing students from going to colleges. This is where distance learning education brings lucrative benefits to help individuals overcome the constraints.
iPad 2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Benefits of online education:
- You receive education from the comforts of home
- Cost-effective and time-effective
- Authentic credentials
- Access to all major higher educational courses
- Flexible
- Quality education
Once you acquire the benefits of online programs, you can integrate ways of contributing to the world economy with your analytical bent of mind and profound knowledge in various facets of social development.
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Have a CV that can make you eligible for jobs Worldwide
Posted: January 22, 2013 Filed under: Education | Tags: Academic degree, distance learning, Education, Learning, London, Nigeria, Student 4 Comments »
(Photo credit: Zach Klein)
When an individual is on his/her way to pursue graduation course they look out for the best college or university as they are aware of the fact that good education can fetch them excellent jobs in future. But if you take a look at the condition of a country like Nigeria you will find that the people of the country are victim of violence and corruption. They are deprived of the most essential requirement in life-education.
Education scenario is poor in Nigeria though currently they are making all the necessary changes to improve the academic status of the country. But instantly immediate transformation is impossible and it will take quite some time to bring about a renovation in the educational world. So the best option for the Nigerians would be to go for online distance learning courses in UK.
When an individual makes a CV to apply for any jobs it is necessary that their CV is attractive enough to impress the interviewer of the company. And one thing that every interviewer takes a note of while going through a CV is the qualification that the person has obtained and it is more applicable for those candidates who are fresher’s.
However in Nigeria the students do not have such great facilities to proceed smoothly with their studies so it is better that they do their undergraduate or postgraduate programs through online distance learning courses. The UK universities offer interesting subjects to the aspirants and they have a wide variety of subjects to choose from to obtain a specific degree. Once they make up their mind about what course they want to do the learning trend is so easy that they can easily get accustomed to the pattern of learning.
Get the Best from Nigeria. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The students are absolutely comfortable with the technique the UK universities use to teach the students of Nigeria. Moreover the unique fact about these courses is though they learn online yet they are accredited with genuine UK university credits. The qualification from UK adds to the value of their CV in future. Hence if any Nigerian is planning to work abroad in future the UK online degree will definitely give a definite edge to their CVs.
The degrees from UK are valued for the branded reward it gives to the candidates of Nigeria. Therefore majority of the UK university degrees earned by the Nigerian students take them to a greater height to have a prosperous career and a future. Their CVs become not only eye catching but also grant them respected jobs in their preferred sector.
Learning Made Fun with E-Learning
Posted: October 31, 2012 Filed under: Education | Tags: e-learning, online courses, online postgraduate courses Leave a comment »Our workforce and its environment is changing dramatically. More and more tools and technologies are being launched to make the learning application meet the learning style of the present generation. With the modernization of education e- learning has presented the next generation with easier learning solutions. The reach of these solutions is so widespread that even the remotest corners of the globe are lightened by the presence of online and distance learning courses nowadays.
E-learning is the new age solution giving learners all the benefits that they so far could not avail of with the traditional courses. Have you ever thought how your learning content would look on a mobile device? Learning on the go and from wherever and whenever you want is the new age mantra for the 21st century students and professionals.
E-Learning makes Studies more Interesting
Learning will now be fun. It gives the learner the user experience. It involves self reliance and gives scope for self improvement. If you had to picture this that the professor is standing in front of the auditorium and talking in a monotonous voice for hours. How many students do you think will be awake by the time the class ends? On the other hand would it not be interesting to attend a virtual classroom with a dynamic and engaging professor engaging students with objective lessons? It is the same content delivering different user experience. And this is where e-learning scores above traditional mode of learning in terms of popularity. When we talk of fun, it is fun from the learner’s perspective and it means that there is no waste of time.
Using of state of the art tools and technologies, web based study materials and all the modern features is what best describes this new age learning solution. Universities all across the globe are now taking initiatives to offer this form of learning to the students. The top UK universities as well offer online graduate courses and online postgraduate courses. These courses are tailored to meet all the needs of students and working professionals like. These courses offer a synergy between incorporating the most updated technologies and the already existing ones.
With the passage of time this mode of learning is expected to come out bigger and better and help learners enjoy the learning experience and retain the information longer.
Bringing a Smile to the Physically Challenged with the help of Online Degrees
Posted: October 8, 2012 Filed under: Education | Tags: colleges online courses Leave a comment »Our life is full of difficulties. But on top of it, if one has to battle with problems like physical deformity, all they can see is darkness in front of them. They have to face difficulty in almost every sphere of life. But their struggle is not as acute as it is in the field of higher education.
Even though the advanced nations of the world have made it possible for the section of the population to pursue higher education at par with the others, it has not been possible in the case of the developing nations. Therefore, education comes to a standstill for the physically challenged student after a preliminary level.
Fortunately, however, the situation is changing. With the advancement in the technological field and its rays lighting up every section of the world, smiles are getting broader on the faces of those who had no hope of studying any further. Online education has come as an answer to their prayers.
Now, a physically challenged person does not necessarily have to quit their studies because they are not able to move about on their own. They can now get a degree sitting right in their chairs without having to move out of their house. All they have to do is study through the colleges online courses.
Higher education has truly become universal with the online degrees. Now, the students can go for higher education no matter what their physical condition is. If they are interested in studying higher, then there are N more ways than one.
These courses are being offered by the top institutions and the degrees that they gain help them go a long way in competing with the other candidate in the professional world. Earlier only a very few who has the perseverance to go for the higher degrees had only the regular courses to pursue. Then again, there were very few options. Now with the online degrees, the physically challenged candidates are getting a number of options as well as the comfort of completing their degrees from home. Thus, they are getting their fair share of the pie by learning online.
Leona Sharon
