The Power of Digital Innovation in Transforming Nigerian Education
Tunani Initiative, a start-up driven by young minds, is working to address the pressing challenges facing Nigeria. To commemorate the 2025 World Literacy Day, they organized an event focused on finding solutions to the alarming issue of Nigeria having the highest percentage of out-of-school children globally. This initiative highlights a critical need: rebuilding a high-quality educational system that fosters knowledge, skills, civic education, and critical thinking among the youth.
The importance of quality education cannot be overstated. It is the key to restoring confidence in a future that offers jobs, opportunities, and progress for the majority of Nigerians. The late statesman, Ahmed Joda, reminded us of the national pledge made in 1973. At that time, General Yakubu Gowon called for a policy recommendation to prevent another civil war, leading to a commitment that every child born after January 1970 would receive free, compulsory, and high-quality primary education. This promise was later extended to basic education, covering nine years of free and quality education for all.
However, over the years, this commitment has been abandoned. The public education sector has collapsed, and millions of children graduate from primary schools without receiving proper education. The assumption that these children have passed their exams is misleading, as the elite class sends their children to private schools while neglecting the public system. As a result, most public primary schools have become centers for the reproduction of illiteracy and ignorance.
Bolaji Abdullahi, a close friend, exposed the lie that Nigeria is educating the masses. As Commissioner of Education in Kwara State, he tested the competency of primary school teachers in 2007. Out of 19,000 teachers, only 75 passed the required 80% threshold. This shocking result highlighted the lack of competence among teachers, despite students passing their exams.
Kayode Fayemi’s political career was affected when his opponents spread the rumor that he planned to implement teacher competency tests. This incident revealed the fear among teachers of being exposed for their lack of knowledge. These events underscore the urgent need for reform in the education sector.
The Tunani event on promoting literacy in the digital age took place at Rovingheights, a bookshop in Abuja with a rich collection of history, politics, economics, biographies, and faith. The learnings from the event emphasized the need to shift from paper to digital books. Digital tools can accelerate learning and make society literate and numerate within a few years.
An important innovation supported by the African Union and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) involves the use of digital pens and books. These tools provide high-quality, learner-centered education regardless of literacy level, location, or language at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. When the pen touches text or pictures in the book, it voices out corresponding audio with interactive games, quizzes, and multi-language translations. These programs are already in use in Abuja and Lagos for accelerated learning in literacy, numeracy, health, and languages.
These talking books follow the national curriculum and do not require internet access. They are designed to help semi-skilled or unskilled teachers teach while guiding children to learn simultaneously. The technology solves quality and language barriers, allowing a Hausa-speaking child to quickly learn English while improving their Hausa.
Digital tools can address the challenges in basic education, especially in public primary schools and the large number of out-of-school children. The Federal Ministry of Education estimates that 50% of in-school children are not learning because they cannot read or write. Around 84% of children in the lowest economic quartile cannot read at all. Nigeria has the largest number of out-of-school children globally, with over 13.2 million children not attending school according to UNICEF.
Initially, internet-based digital tools faced challenges due to limited access and costs. However, cheap appliances have been developed that do not require internet access, as contents are stored in the pens and books. Thanks to the Tunani Initiative, Maryam Ibrahim and Alhassan Pereira Ibrahim have drawn attention to a pathway that could greatly advance education attainment in Nigeria.
