THERE are millions of children out of school in the conflict-
ridden northeast of Nigeria, but in one classroom the future
is looking brighter. In a co-educational private secondary
school in Yola, the capital of Adamawa state, teenagers each
sit in front of a computer. They are enrolled in an extra-
curricular class run by the nearby American University of
Nigeria (AUN), which prepares them for university degrees
in science, technology, maths and engineering. At the front
of the class, their teacher—an engaging doctor from the
university—uses a $40 credit card-sized computer known as
a ‘Raspberry Pi’ to project mathematical charts on a
whiteboard.
The youngsters here are bright, computer smart, and
ambitious. They say they would like Nigeria to have a
Chinese-style tech revolution—and their teacher agrees. This
is one of 22 private schools in which AUN runs these classes.
But he says this is not just something for the elite. At a few
dollars apiece, he sees no reason why every school in the
country should not be using this kind of technology to
improve teaching outcomes.
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Nigeria is facing one of the world’s worst learning crises and
desperately needs to rethink education. Thanks to rapid
population growth, there are now more than 10m out of
school children here—one in in five of the global total. And
being enrolled in Nigerian school does not mean you’ll
receive a decent education either. UNESCO estimates that in
2008, almost a third of men aged 15-29 with six years of
education were illiterate. That’s mostly due to the lack of
books and inept teachers. AUN reckons that at least 300,000
teachers working in the country do not have adequate
training. On top of that, the UN says that Nigeria needs
almost 400,000 new teachers by next year, just to achieve
universal primary education. The requirements are
gargantuan. Traditional methods, education experts say, will
not work.
But techies argue that computers, tablets and phones can
help. Growing connectivity makes it easier to reach students
through technology than traditional teaching methods. In
classrooms where books are scarce, teachers can use free
online resources to keep their lessons up to date. Apps
make classes more interactive, banishing ineffective rote
learning.
In a shabby government school in Yola, the benefits are
clear. Every day, highly educated volunteers from AUN
spend after school hours with primary students. Big classes
are divided up into groups of four, each with its own teacher
and tablet computer. They use apps to improve literacy,
numeracy and critical thinking skills. The teachers here say
that after only a few months, learning outcomes are already
improving. AUN hopes to roll out this programme
throughout the region, and doesn’t see why other decent
Nigerian universities can’t do the same elsewhere.
It’s hard to imagine similar schemes taking root further
north, where the terrorist organisation Boko Haram has its
stronghold and security makes schooling near impossible. It
is equally difficult to see an ineffectual government
distributing technology to schools through the country. But
in one northeastern state, at least, private actors are
bringing a new approach to education; and a handful of
children have the hope of a better future.
ridden northeast of Nigeria, but in one classroom the future
is looking brighter. In a co-educational private secondary
school in Yola, the capital of Adamawa state, teenagers each
sit in front of a computer. They are enrolled in an extra-
curricular class run by the nearby American University of
Nigeria (AUN), which prepares them for university degrees
in science, technology, maths and engineering. At the front
of the class, their teacher—an engaging doctor from the
university—uses a $40 credit card-sized computer known as
a ‘Raspberry Pi’ to project mathematical charts on a
whiteboard.
The youngsters here are bright, computer smart, and
ambitious. They say they would like Nigeria to have a
Chinese-style tech revolution—and their teacher agrees. This
is one of 22 private schools in which AUN runs these classes.
But he says this is not just something for the elite. At a few
dollars apiece, he sees no reason why every school in the
country should not be using this kind of technology to
improve teaching outcomes.
Advertisement
Nigeria is facing one of the world’s worst learning crises and
desperately needs to rethink education. Thanks to rapid
population growth, there are now more than 10m out of
school children here—one in in five of the global total. And
being enrolled in Nigerian school does not mean you’ll
receive a decent education either. UNESCO estimates that in
2008, almost a third of men aged 15-29 with six years of
education were illiterate. That’s mostly due to the lack of
books and inept teachers. AUN reckons that at least 300,000
teachers working in the country do not have adequate
training. On top of that, the UN says that Nigeria needs
almost 400,000 new teachers by next year, just to achieve
universal primary education. The requirements are
gargantuan. Traditional methods, education experts say, will
not work.
But techies argue that computers, tablets and phones can
help. Growing connectivity makes it easier to reach students
through technology than traditional teaching methods. In
classrooms where books are scarce, teachers can use free
online resources to keep their lessons up to date. Apps
make classes more interactive, banishing ineffective rote
learning.
In a shabby government school in Yola, the benefits are
clear. Every day, highly educated volunteers from AUN
spend after school hours with primary students. Big classes
are divided up into groups of four, each with its own teacher
and tablet computer. They use apps to improve literacy,
numeracy and critical thinking skills. The teachers here say
that after only a few months, learning outcomes are already
improving. AUN hopes to roll out this programme
throughout the region, and doesn’t see why other decent
Nigerian universities can’t do the same elsewhere.
It’s hard to imagine similar schemes taking root further
north, where the terrorist organisation Boko Haram has its
stronghold and security makes schooling near impossible. It
is equally difficult to see an ineffectual government
distributing technology to schools through the country. But
in one northeastern state, at least, private actors are
bringing a new approach to education; and a handful of
children have the hope of a better future.
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