I am really delighted to write my first post in this community. I would like to talk about computer literacy and how I intend making a positive impact in this sector through Hive. For the sake of comprehensive reading, these are the things I would cover in this article:
- Computer education in Aba - the reality on ground
- Government role in improving Computer Education
- The Role of Private Sector in Computer Education
Alright without wasting much time, I would like to start with the very first item on this list.
IT education in Aba - the reality on ground
I live in Aba, a city in Southeastern part of Nigeria. Let me give you a little background information about the city. Aba is a popular commercial center and home to the mostly the Igbo tribe. They are known for entrepreneurship and trading. The city is home to Ariaria international market, one of the largest markets in West Africa. The above gives you a quick overview of this city.
Computer literacy in Aba is not at its best to say the list. Of course, it is not just peculiar to this city. The situation is no better in other cities in Nigeria. Generally. Computer education need proper boost from all stakeholders in order to reach the acceptable level obtainable elsewhere. Breaking it down properly would not be complete if we do not start from our educational institutions. So lets look at the following:
- Computer literacy in Primary Schools: In this part of the world, Primary schools provide the basic education a child needs from a tender age. Children are enrolled into Primary 1 (Basic 1) generally from 6 years of age. Having passed through the system and lived in it a long time now, there are generally no practical computer lessons for most students at this level. That is particularly as a result of general infrastructural decay that we have seen over the years.
While computer is taught as a subject in many public schools, there are rarely computer any computer facilities where students can obtain practical Computer knowledge. This does not just happen at the basic level, but throughout the basic education levels (basic 1 - 6). As a result, public schools offer nearly zero practical computer education. Most children therefore miss practical computer knowledge which they should receive at that early age.
The little efforts at practical computer education in my city, is made by few private schools. Private schools are owned and operated by individuals. These individuals raise the standard of education basically. Some of the private schools have a high standard. That high standard also includes practical computer literacy. They have computer laboratories where students can do computer practicals. Again, it is not all private schools. I am talking about standard private schools. They are usually few and attended by students of the wealthy class.
From the above, its obvious that apart from teaching computer a subject, primary schools in my city do not offer practical computer education. As such, a large population of students graduate from basic education with zero practical knowledge of computers. Taking it further, lets look at the next level - Secondary education.
- Computer literacy in Secondary Schools: After Primary (Basic) education, students graduate into Secondary (High) Schools. In Aba, more than 50% of students are in Public secondary schools (Government school). The story is the same here as in Primary School. Public schools are ill-equipped with computer and IT facilities. Majority of students in these schools lack any practical knowledge of computers because it does not exist there.
Private secondary schools of the wealthy make effort in this regard. Parents there can pay to obtain quality education. So students in these schools are exposed not just to computer as a subject, but they are trained in computer practicals. They learn how to use various computer software. So generally, computer education at the secondary school level is below the level it should be.
In recent years, education authorities in my country switched tertiary metriculation exam (JAMB) from a paper-based test to computer test. So in the very last year of secondary education, students in both public and private schools look for a Computer Training facility, where they will enroll and learn how to use a computer. They basically focus on the CBT (Computer Based Test) software which prepares them for their metriculation examination. However, this is too little, too late. So generally, students are forced so to speak, to obtain computer training in the 18th year of their life - so sad.
- Computer literacy in Tertiary Institutions: I did computer Science as a course In Abia State Polytechnic, Aba. During my years 2009 - 2014, we had two computer labs. Each had about 30 computers. But we had close to 1000 students admitted in my section. So its practically impossible to have a lot of chances to practice with the computers at the lab. My experience is almost the same in most tertiary institutions around the country.
So computer literacy is not doing well even at the tertiary level of education. Even most students in the Computer Science departments continue to study without having their own laptops, or any Computer labs to practice. The next thing here is the way forward.
Government role in improving Computer Education
I believe all stakeholders can put hands together to improve the level of computer literacy in my City Aba, State Abia, and Country in general Nigeria.
The first thing they have to do is look into the education sector and equip the educational institutions with skilled instructors and Computer facilities at all levels. Each public school should have a computer laboratory or two where students can go and do computer practice. If this is done at the primary, Secondary and Tertiary level, we will have more graduates that are not just computer literate, but also IT professionals.
There should be legislation guiding the establishment of Private schools. These legislation must require proprietors of private schools to set up Computer facilities in their schools for practical computer training. In this way, students in private and public schools will have standard computer education through these institutions.
The Role of Private Sector in Computer Education
The private sector has been the major stakeholder in Computer education in my city. Computer Triaining facilities owned and operated by individuals continue to provide computer trainingand education in Aba. They are where students go for CBT training or to learn how to use other software. I encourage the existing Computer training facilities to upgrade and expand their services to operate at a higher level.
I also urge investors and stakeholders in the IT sector to consider joining the Computer training sector, so that everyone in the city could have a place where they can go and obtain computer education in a standard way. This is where I come in recently.
My new Computer Literacy facility and Hive
I recently got close to fulfilling a career dream. I had always planned to establish an ultra-modern IT facility as this is a way to not only give back to society, but improve computer education in Aba.
My facility is at 208 Azikiwe road Aba. I have 20 computers to begin. I intend increase the number of computers as time goes on. We have other equipment to enhance the learning process such as projector machine, a 6.5KVA power generating set and 2 instructors. We hope to kick off anytime soon. I would like to share a few images of my facility with you.
The main aim here is to contribute positively to Computer education in Aba, and in Nigeria generally. Bringing in Hive into the whole picture, I hope to run some courses free of charge and sponsored by the Hive Community. This will be my way of making Hive real to people in Aba.
Beginners courses like Typing and how to use Windows can be offered free in the name of Hive Ecosystem. Other bigger courses that will definitely require longer training period, would require reasonable tuition from the students. Generally, Hive and my IT facility hopes to make a positive Impact in the Computer Education sector in my city and Country.
What does computer Literacy look like in your city?
What is the state of computer literacy in your city?. How much of the population can you say are computer literate? How will you rate Computer and IT facilities in public and private schools in your city? When was the first time you were exposed to any computer literacy class? Share with us in this discussion. Lets Talk in the comment section!