Covid-19 brought a huge challenge
to education and literacy, First Bank of Nigeria Limited responded with a
Rosetta stone of innovative e-learning initiatives that have far-reaching
effects
Since 1967 that the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been
celebrating International Literacy Day to promote the importance of literacy
and education, every September 8 had witnessed book gifting, book reading and
related activities are undertaken by the UN body and its coalition of partners.
But this year is a departure as
such enshrined activities are suspended and replaced with virtual meetings, a
gesture that reflects the sign of the precarious situation of the world is as
it is grappling with the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
Education has been in a state of
limbo since schools––primary, secondary and tertiary institutions––and research
institutes across the world were abruptly shut down as countries enforced
lockdown to contain the ravages of the novel Covid-19. The disruption, a
setback for education globally, inevitably fostered a lull in the effort to
enhance literacy. And in the meantime, the world shifted to an alternative
learning method which, by and large, is narrowed down to digital learning.
These challenges provided the
backdrop for the theme of this year’s International Literacy Day: “Literacy
Teaching and Learning in the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond,” which threw open
discourse on how innovative and effective education and teaching methodologies
are to be adopted or adapted in youth and adult literacy programmes during the
period of the pandemic and beyond.
In line with this thematic
direction, countries are reviewing how they have fared in the new normal, and
evaluation of various initiatives by individuals, corporate bodies and
governments are being undertaken to ascertain how they align with the reality
and what gaps needed to be filled.
For Nigeria, the stake is higher.
Burdened with a high rate of illiteracy, inadequate digital infrastructure and
an economy in dire straits, Nigeria has on its hand a challenging learning
situation in the of the new order. The possibility of the country being further
left behind in the race to literacy was writ large, an uncomfortable fact that
raised several legitimate concerns bordering on how to ensure that students
have access to learning resources, how they can be fully engaged to make them
competitive internationally with their peers and how such engagement can help
close the gap created by the closure of all educational institutions
nationwide. While a cocktail of
initiatives surfaced in the past few months to address these concerns and
challenges, there was none as suitable, comprehensive and far-reaching as the
e-learning initiatives of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
The initiative which could as
well be nicknamed “Operation Moving One Million Nigerian Students To
e-Learning” is a tripartite effort between the bank, Lagos State government and
Roducate, an innovative technology firm that is providing educational solutions
that enable primary, secondary and university students to continue to study the
government-accredited curriculum of various subjects and disciplines in the
convenience of their home.
Out of the mushroom of e-learning
platforms in the aftermath of the lockdown, the First Bank initiative came with
a big difference: the Roducate e-learning platform is available for free at
www.firstbanknigeria.com/e-learning.
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