Migrating Basic Education To Digital Era

By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.

For Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, the zeal to transform the commission into one stop shop agency was on course to streamline both the activities of the body on the field and it’s offices across the country in it’s area of operations.

As the foundation of Basic Education and the global desire to inculcate the new order into the system of it’s operations, the commission had gone beyond the transformation of Basic Education by injecting the new system into the establishment of ‘Smart School’ to address both the natural and artificial phenomenon, occasioned by the recent development and negative consequences of COVID pandemic .

Having invested heavily on the establishment of Smart Schools across the six geopolitical zones after COVID and it’s dire consequences, it will be counter productive to live out the main stream out of tune negating the global provisions and requirements.

In view of both the national and international demands as well as the global trend that had brought on board the digital transformation across all strata, coupled with the transformation policy on digital divide by the federal government, with the setting up of the technical working group (TWG), geared towards streamlining the core operations, records of all government organisations, the commission could not be seen to be lagging behind.

This was being done owing to the multiple benefits in all areas of official engagements, that will reduce the system to a paperless activities and operations due to full automation and digitization.

The commission had fully embarked on wholistic information and communication technology ICT both in innovations, website remodeling along with reengineered wireless arrangements (WLAN), that will boost internal connectivity geared towards redefining the working tools.

With the automation arrangements, e- questionaire will be developed from data collected from monitoring, a depature from the old order as part of key requirements of the UN SDGs to achieve virile Basic Education at all levels.

Since Basic Education is the core to other elevation in the learning sphere, the desire for a modern, and remodelled website for mobile response, effective interaction and upgraded old server to a new one, became the core of the operations of the commission.

With the current trend of digital transformation anchored on the policy of government, the idea of service delivery, improved services in line with the digitization policy will not only ease government activities, but also developed citizen- friendly information systems both in government, private sector and becomes part and parcel of the informal sector.

No doubt, the current strides and revolution by UBEC will not only ease it’s programs of activities in it’s offices across the country, but will deliver timely correspondences and mandate of the commission.

The commission had already taken the lead to consolidate the policy with recurrent in-house trainings, seminars, workshops and talkshops as well local and international orientation and awareness, in collaboration with other organs of government and the private sector.

With renewed vigour and zeal as well as adminsrative capabilities demonstrated by the leadership of the commission under Dr Hamid Bobboyi , no doubt moving beyond the digital transformation era, ahead of any local and international/ global situations will  be a corrolary .

With heavy investments on the ‘Smart School ‘ as the basis of it’s operations and operators, the expected results will not be misconstrued.

Yusuf Is A Public Affairs Analyst, Writes from Abuja on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.