Foundation urges teacher training for digital curriculum

Pupils of Alapere Nurand Primary School during the training... Photo: Change A Child Community Initiative.

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A non-governmental organisation, Change A Child Community Initiative, in partnership with Tech4Dev, has called for increased investment and training for teachers on Nigeria’s new digital education curriculum.

The group made the call during an outreach held at Alapere Nursery and Primary School, Ketu, Lagos, where pupils were introduced to basic digital skills and peacebuilding concepts in line with the revised curriculum.

In a statement on Thursday, the Founder and Lead Educator of Change A Child Community Initiative, Blessing Awamba, said the introduction of the digital technology curriculum, especially from Primary Six, had exposed gaps in teachers’ preparedness.

Awamba said many teachers were unaware of the new content, leaving pupils without guidance during digital literacy periods.

“With the new curriculum that was introduced this term, we see that digital technology is a major part of it, especially from Primary Six. But many teachers do not know that part. When it is time for that section of the curriculum, they don’t know what to teach. It’s just like an open class,” she said.

Awamba explained that the organisation had visited schools across Lagos, Anambra, and Ebonyi states, where learners were consistently encouraged to embrace peacebuilding and coexistence.

“We go to different schools across Nigeria for outreaches. We encourage young learners to be peace builders, to value peaceful coexistence. We liaise with teachers and school leaders to help them infuse peacebuilding concepts into classrooms so that learners graduate not only with academic knowledge but also with values that promote a peaceful Nigeria,” she said.

Speaking on why the organisation collaborated with Tech4Dev, Awamba said the idea was to equip teachers through a proposed train-the-trainers programme while also using World Science Day for Peace and Development to introduce children to the relevance of digital literacy.

“Not just learning it for financial freedom, but learning it to be prime examples in their communities, using technology for good,” she added.

Awamba highlighted activities carried out during the outreach, including an AI-powered project where pupils’ photographs were transformed to reflect their future career aspirations.

“Some of them said they wanted to be lawyers, doctors, nurses, astronauts, and pilots. The Tech4Dev team used AI to create adult versions of the pupils wearing outfits that matched those careers. They were very happy.

“We used that to show them why school is important. None of the careers they mentioned can be achieved without education,” she said.

Awamba urged students across Nigeria to commit to peace in their classrooms.

“We all want a peaceful world, but we make up the community. You cannot demand peace when you are discriminatory or violent. So we encourage learners to contribute to peaceful coexistence and value one another,” she said.

Also speaking, the Head of Programmes at Tech4Dev, Blessing Bamidele, said the collaboration was driven by a shared mission to expose children in underserved communities to digital skills and AI-powered opportunities.

“Our goal is to ensure people have access to digital opportunities. We saw what Change A Child is doing and decided to partner with them to reach these pupils with digital skills, and most importantly, show them the possibilities of leveraging artificial intelligence for their future careers,” she said.

Bamidele described the pupils’ engagement level as impressive.

“The participation was amazing. They had a basic grasp of what AI is, even as public school students. They were excited to see AI-generated versions of themselves in their future careers. It inspires them to believe they can be more,” she said.

She urged Nigerian students, especially those in public schools, not to allow their backgrounds to limit them.

“I personally attended a public school. I didn’t let my environment determine who I would become. My advice is this: don’t stop. There will be challenges, but keep going. This is only a stepping stone to where you need to be,” she said.

Tech4Dev, according to her, remains committed to promoting digital literacy as a tool for social change and inclusive development.

The PUNCH Senior Correspondent, Grace, has over 17 years experience covering education, arts, business and health sectors. She’s a graduate of Sociology

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