The Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmad Bamali has raised concerns over the repeated collapse of Nigeria’s national power grid, stating that it is affecting the country’s educational development.
He emphasized that the power failures are particularly disrupting e-learning in Nigeria and that urgent action is needed to address the issue.
Bamali made the remarks on Tuesday in Kaduna during the 2nd Annual National Conference, 2024, organized by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI).
The conference, which is taking place over four days, is themed “E-facilitation Delivery System in Nigerian Schools: Prospects, Challenges and Way Forward.”
Power failures and e-learning challenges
The Emir, represented by the District Head of Doka, Kaduna North Local Government Area, Alhaji Jibrin Magaji, highlighted the role of e-facilitation in improving teaching and learning in schools.
“E-facilitation is very important. It facilitates effective e-learning and teaching in schools at all levels,” he stated. However, he noted that frequent power outages disrupt the process, making it harder for students and teachers to engage with digital learning tool stools, the New Agency of Nigeria reports.
“The recurring collapse of the national grid is hampering e-learning in the country,” Bamali said. “This ugly development is especially truncating e-learning in the country, and the earlier it is reversed, the better for education in the nation.”
Limited access to the internet and low digital literacy
Reports inform that in addition to power issues, Bamali also pointed to inadequate access to the internet as another challenge facing Nigeria’s education system.
He stressed that many students and teachers across the country lack the necessary digital literacy to fully benefit from e-learning opportunities.
“Another problem affecting education in Nigeria is the low digital literacy of the students and teachers across Nigeria,” he said.
The Emir expressed hope that these challenges could be addressed through sustained efforts in training and retraining teachers and students.
“With plausible measures like sustained training and retraining, this issue could be redressed,” he added.
Efforts to improve teacher training and digital education
In his speech, Prof. Musa Garba-Maitafsir, the Director-General of NTI, discussed the steps the institute has taken to modernize its operations.
“In the last three years and some years I have been holding sway here, I have transformed NTI into a world-class Teacher Training Institute,” he said.
He shared that the institute has successfully transitioned from an entirely analogue system to a fully digitalized platform, helping to advance teacher training across Nigeria.
Prof. Garba-Maitafsir also mentioned that NTI is recognized internationally for its training programs.
“Ironically, NTI is now more recognized outside Nigeria than within the country,” he noted, adding that the institute has been involved in various foreign training initiatives, including collaborations with organizations like UNICEF.
Support from the state government for teacher development
- The Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, also spoke at the event, emphasizing the importance of e-learning in advancing Nigeria’s education sector.
- He underscored the need for more investment in digital education to help meet the country’s educational goals.
- In a related development, Prof. Yaya Ibrahim, Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board, announced plans for collaboration with NTI to train and retrain primary and secondary school teachers in the state.
- This partnership aims to enhance the teaching capabilities of educators in Kaduna and other regions.
- The conference highlighted the ongoing challenges and opportunities for improving e-learning and teacher training in Nigeria, with a strong focus on addressing infrastructure and digital literacy gaps.
