EDUMARK tasks school owners on use of technology

In recognition of the place of technology in education and the role it plays in the development of any country, emphasis has been laid on the need to input technology devices into the education system.

Leading and foremost education consultant, Edumark has stressed that technology is redefining the way of life thus education practitioners who have the task of nurturing young minds must be prepared for the change.

Addressing participants at the Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition Technology (TOSSETech) which is a unique learning platform, for educators all over Africa, CEO of Edumark, Mrs Yinka Ogunde said the field of Education can be developed through technology because technology is changing the ways of life, and it’s very important that to truly impact on the lives of children , educators must be fully aware of the technology that are available in the market.

“In rating Nigeria on the use of technology to teach children, it is relative because there is a huge gap between the public and private sector, a lot of private institutions have incorporated technology into the way their children are being taught but it goes beyond that because a lot of Nigerian children are in public schools and based on that fact Nigeria still has a long way to go”, she said.

Ogunde also posited that the challenges confronting education in Nigeria are numerous from every group such as the teachers, administrators, students and parents perspectives.

“On the part of teachers, there is need for Nigeria to recruit teachers who understand what they are doing and who are equipped with the skills necessary to raise a child that is ready to key into the global perspectives. The challenges are surmountable as long as we all keep our focus and are ready to tackle them”, she said.

In order for teachers not to be replaced with technology she said teachers should be careful in using technology to teach children based on what the child has to know at a particular age stressing that the teacher has to be fully in charge as there will always be a need for teachers in using technology but teachers have to grow themselves because education has become e-learning.

On his own part, Chief Executive of Honeyland Group of Scvhools, Rev James Alayande said technology can’t replace teachers because teachers are still needed but they need to be well informed on how to apply the technology saying the case is like ’Garbage In, Garbage Out’ just that teachers have to be pro-active to be able to move along with the pace technology is moving.

Alayande said the occasion is very important because things are changing everyday and if school owners still live in the past they are out of it because technology is going beyond what anybody can think of.

Keynote address speaker, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo who is a school administrator said a bad teacher can be replaced with technology stressing that teachers have to move from the way they teach because some teachers use technology in totally pedestrian manner.

She advised school owners to teach children soft skills such as team work, critical thinking, problem solving, digital literacy, Internet of Things, creativity among others.

She also urged them to get involved in the development of curriculum because they need to devise a modem of education that has a vision for what they want technology to do in their schools.

“The problem is that people who design the curriculum do not carry teachers along, technologists cannot proffer solutions to schools without involving the users”, she said.

She also urged schools to go for excellence, equity and access.