The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), in collaboration with the ministry of education, has established a Digital Resource Centre (DRC), to train school teachers and learners to improve digital literacy.

The head of capacity development of DRC, Dr Hafsat Lawal, at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, said the centre provided sophisticated learning equipment to facilitate up-to-date learning.

Ms Lawal said through smart schools, the centre would be at the forefront of empowering teachers and learners through ICT to enhance teaching and learning pedagogies.

“We have successfully trained administrators, teachers including IT personnel in UBE smart schools and effective schools from basic literacy to advanced topics,” she said.

She said that the centre also collaborated actively with experts from both local and international level to sensitise people to the need to thrive in the field of ICT.

On his part, the head of the centre, Prof., Bashir Galadanci, said the commission had provided the centre to transform the educational system in a way that it could compete with other advanced countries.

”We need to train our students in such a way that they can compete not only within themselves but with other countries too. They need skills and training to enhance themselves.

“We already have 37 smart schools in all states in Nigeria, we hope that we can expand our reach to the local government areas where every school are facilitated with sophisticated learning equipment,” he said.

Mr Galadanci added that Nigerian schools were lacking behind in the area of teachers welfare noting that there was need to encourage teachers for effective teaching and learning.

“It is surprising when you go to advanced countries and ask pupils about their careers, they will proudly say they want to become a teacher which is not applicable to Nigeria’s case.

“This is because teachers there have the flashiest cars but here teachers are left with tattered motorcycles.

“When you ask a Nigerian pupil what they want to become in future, they will practically mention professions like doctors, lawyers, bankers or even a president. Forgetting that teaching is the most important profession.

“The governments need to upgrade teachers’ welfare where they can have access to modern gadgets such as tablets, Ipads, and fingerprints sensor scanner and the rest,” he said

(NAN)