The National Information Technology Development Agency said about 24,372 active students are presently learning under NITDA Academy.
The Director General of the agency, Inuwa Kashifu made this known on Thursday, at the virtual NITDA Stakeholders’ Meetup and Hangout.
The hangout was themed: “Leveraging Indigenous Technologies to Enhance Educational Development”.
Inuwa, said though the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional educational system, but it has revolutionized digital and online education globally.
The DG said its Agency next strategic action is to organize an ‘Innovation Challenge’ with a view to providing indigenous solution that can help develop digital learning platform for rural communities in Nigeria.
He said: “However, kids in rural and underserved communities are being left behind, as they are not equipped to adapt or transition to the new methods of learning.”
The statement read, “As a response to the crisis, some private schools in Nigeria switched to digital platforms, some state governments released a schedule of radio and TV lessons for students in public schools, but majority of students are left out. At our ministry and NITDA we also responded by launching virtual learning platforms for our citizen to spend their time meaningfully out of school. Our platforms are aimed at reskilling and upskilling our citizens with digital skill for post covid-19 world and future of work. As of this morning we have 24,372 active students learning under NITDA Academy
“According to Microsoft 149million new jobs will be created in the next 5 years. These new jobs are going to be in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Robotic and Software development. To put this meetup into historical perspective, it is aimed to kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, to open a discussion on how we can leverage emerging technologies to build an affordable indigenous solution to address the current global learning crisis using local solution. And secondly, to encourage and incentivize our innovative citizens to develop a marketable products and services using emerging technologies.
“Our next strategic action is to organize innovation challenge on indigenous solution that can help develop digital learning platform for rural communities in Nigeria. This is in line with our Honorouble Minister’s directive, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami to parastatals under his supervision to set up a fund for innovation that can promote development in Nigeria. We started with smart initiative in agriculture and the initiative was widely accepted by both government and private organizations. Dozens credible organizations including international developmental bodies reached to us on the initiative. And our next area is education. And today’s meetup has opened the conversation and set the ball rolling.
“I welcome you all once again and believe you will come up with something amazing at the end of this meetup. And I assure you of our commitment to support you in developing an indigenous technology solution that can help us develop our educational sector, the statement concluded.
