Following its dedication to drive infusion of know-how into the curriculum and promote tutorial supply course of in Nigeria’s public tertiary establishments, the Tertiary Training Belief Fund (TETFund) lately emerged winner of the 2024 Anthology Visionary Award for Management.
The award was in recognition of the Fund’s efforts in reworking tertiary schooling by way of know-how. This course of, the company believes, will make Nigerian graduates not solely geared up for the employment market but additionally put together them technologically and in any other case to compete with their friends the world over.
Apparently, the efforts of the Govt Secretary of the Fund, Arc. Sonny Echono, are yielding outcomes and presenting the Nigerian tertiary schooling sector as a model to reckon with.
In a distant Orlando World Centre in the USA and earlier than a world viewers of over 2000 members drawn from the academia, the Fund’s exhausting work spoke quantity as Echono mounted the worldwide stage to obtain the Visionary Award on behalf of the company.
In his acceptance speech, the Govt Secretary said that the concept of infusing know-how into curriculum and selling tutorial supply course of within the nation’s public tertiary establishments was in step with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who he mentioned, goals at repositioning the schooling sector within the nation in addition to making certain that each one graduates of tertiary establishments attain digital literacy earlier than commencement.
Recall that the Federal Ministry of Training beneath the management of Prof. Tahir Mamman had unveiled the Tertiary Training Analysis and Software Methods (TERAS) and Beneficiaries Identification Administration System (BIMS) on October 17, 2023, on the Federal Ministry of Training Auditorium in Abuja.
That public presentation kick-started the laudable initiative which was pushed by TETFund in partnership with Anthology and Blackboard crew to advertise a extra inclusive ecosystem in tertiary establishments and supply a variety of providers to researchers and college students.
It was equally designed to additional improve instructing and studying processes in tertiary establishments.
Based on Echono, proficiency and digital literacy should not solely helpful however crucial for tutorial success and gainful employment.
He mentioned: “In right this moment’s digital world, proficiency in digital literacy isn’t just helpful, it’s also important for tutorial success and employability. Many international locations have efficiently built-in digital literacy into their instructional methods, reaping the advantages of improved instructing and studying outcomes and accelerated financial development. With our massive youth inhabitants and rising know-how business, Nigeria is uniquely positioned to profit from related initiatives.
“Nevertheless, our curriculum doesn’t adequately handle the digital abilities required for contemporary workplaces and on a regular basis life. Among the recognized gaps embody lack of complete digital literacy parts in our current curricula, which ends up in unprepared graduates who’re unprepared for technology-driven job markets.
“Educators are as nicely not sufficiently skilled or resourced to show essential digital abilities; infrastructure equivalent to computer systems and dependable web entry is insufficient, as many tertiary establishments are both unserved or underserved.
“We do not need a digital literacy index to measure and benchmark our requirements, and there may be important disparity in digital literacy and entry between city and rural areas, exacerbating instructional and financial inequalities.”
To bridge this hole, Echono mentioned that TETFund, as an interventionist company, was supporting over 280 public tertiary establishments and has laid a strategic plan which can allow all college students to realize digital literacy earlier than graduating from the tertiary schooling system.
The TETFund boss additionally disclosed on the occasion that the company has designed a phased integration plan throughout instructional ranges and was equipping educators within the nation with crucial digital abilities, facilitating essential partnerships with international our bodies, and have established a Nationwide Centre of Excellence for Growth of Digital Literacy and Rising Abilities.
Over 2000 members have been intimated with the actions and bold plans of TETFund, and efforts which have been made to cultivate studying administration methods and in addition to successfully handle pupil’s data by deploying data methods.
TETFund has remained dedicated to constructing the capability of members of employees of the assorted departments of Data and Communication Applied sciences (ICT) from beneficiary tertiary establishments throughout the nation.
Welcoming company at one of many Fund’s programmes in Abuja, the Echono expressed the significance of ICT as a vital ability within the current world.
He recalled that from earlier displays and the Fund’s coverage roadmap, it has remained dedicated to sustaining efforts at digitalisation of methods, processes and tutorial content material in addition to making certain that digital literacy is repeatedly being developed at its beneficiary establishments within the nation.
He additional pledged the willpower of the Fund to bridge digital abilities hole in beneficiary establishments in order to allow them to supply graduates which can be globally aggressive, modern and entrepreneurial minded in angle.
He added that given the rising significance of ICT throughout numerous sectors together with schooling, the initiative holds immense potential to positively affect educators, college students and the general development of the academic panorama.
“As we proceed to grapple with lean sources given the rise within the variety of enlisted beneficiary establishments and pupil inhabitants, converged providers have develop into pertinent to speed up and enhance the utilization of Data and Communication Expertise to advance the attain of instructing, studying and analysis in our beneficiary establishments and within the nation at massive,” Echono mentioned.
