Industry players and stakeholders in the education sector have called for a robust infrastructure, consistent policies, and investment in easy access to digital technology to enhance knowledge, skills and competencies required to grow education sector in Nigeria.
Among the issues raised at a stakeholders conference organised by the Lagos branch of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Lagos was the effective use of the revolution in the digital technological sphere to facilitate access to information, increased networking possibilities, knowledge management and enhanced industrial production.
Segun Mcmedal, chairman, Lagos branch of NIPR in his welcome address at the conference with the theme Media, Communication and the Challenge of Quality Education for National Development, observed that there was an obvious depreciation in the quality of education obtainable in Nigeria today when compared with the past.
Mcmedal said the Nigerian education system was renowned for its outdated syllabus, inadequate funding, epileptic power supply, poorly motivated staff and substandard facilities.
Ben Murray Bruce, founder/chairman, Silverbird Group, in his keynote address on the topic, opined that Nigeria should make it a point of duty to through the media promote positive aspect of the country.
According to Bruce, “Nigerians are the most educated people in America, but this is not projected because we don’t own the foreign media,” and called for the effective use of our own media to celebrate the positive achievement of Nigerians.
Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, head of department, Mass Communication, University of Lagos, said in her presentation that government at all levels and stakeholders, particularly proprietors of schools and institutions, must build functional libraries to boost the reading habits and culture of pupils and students.
According to Ogwezzy-Ndisika, “There are only few schools with good and functional libraries while majority have outdated books on some tacky shelves. It is important that the libraries should be e-complaint to ease the stress of reading from hard copies.”
To boost reading culture, the professor said schools should encourage the establishment of structures like the readers’ club, press clubs, and debate societies.
She further said that schools should from time to time, organise reading competition and actually get students to cast news in class. Such activities would make the students read more of newspapers for information on current affairs, and for educative materials.
