Tolu Akinwole, the President of the Fulbright Language Scholars’ Association, Nigeria (FULSAN), says e-learning and technological innovations would help boost the education sector.
He spoke in Ibadan at the end of a three-day workshop organised by FULSAN for English Language teachers in public secondary schools.
Akinwole, who was represented at the event by Oladoyin Abiona, listed the challenges facing the education sector to include poor infrastructure and lack of internet facilities.
“We have convened this forum to talk about our educational infrastructure under the specific theme: ‘Teaching Resources: Availability, Applicability and Appropriateness.
“ The issue is this; government needs to address a shortage of manpower in the teaching profession.
“Another issue is the inability of students to apply lessons they learnt in classrooms to everyday life.
“ How significant we would ask is an education that does not draw the students’ attention to their society and cause them to identify and solve problems around them? ’’
Akinwole, however, urged states to overhaul their education sector by bringing in new curriculum that would be 21st compliant and technology-based.
Russell Brooks, the Public Affairs Officer of the US Consulate in Lagos, said some teachers during the workshop had expressed concern about the suitability of available teaching materials.
“Others issues complained about are the inability to access online materials and the flexibility of the state’s English Language Syllabus.
“Having gone through this workshop we hope their insights would be beneficial to the state government in making decisions regarding funding e-learning projects,” Brooks said.
FULSAN is a non-governmental organisation which comprises young Nigerians who have participated in the Fulbright Scholarship to teach Yoruba language in the United States.