Photo by Iyke Ibeh
Education and access to learning have continued to remain one of the challenges facing the African continent. The traditional educational system had thrown up several challenges that offered limited opportunities for the African child. Some of these were a lack of qualified teachers, an inability to address the specific educational needs of the child, and its lack of adaptability to modern learning methods.
As traditional education methods failed, the growing number of out-of-school children began to rise, raising concerns for the future of the African child. According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) global monitoring report, “It is estimated that 244 million children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18 worldwide were out of school in 2021, of which 118.5 million were girls and 125.5 million were boys”.
Coupled with the impact of COVID-19, finding new methods to not only provide access to education but to address the needs of the African child, especially the Girl child, have become unlocked with the unprecedented opportunities offered through Digital learning.
Digital technologies have continued to bridge the gap in providing educational content that meets the current realities while addressing the deficient learning needs of the African Child. For the African girl child, digital learning offers a departure from early marriage, economic hardship, and gender limitations which had always been several of the many challenges they faced as a systemic barrier to their education.
Digital technologies and learning combine a plethora of tools like e-learning platforms, educational apps, software, and other materials that not only provide access to educational materials but also offer flexibility for learning more so in a continent where many other challenges beyond the educational confines still exist.
With a digital device and accessible internet, African Girls can learn across the continent without needing to travel across distances to sit within the confines of a school and under the supervision of a teacher. This is especially helpful in countries where the girl child still faces restrictions on mobility as a result of cultural practices or security issues.
The resultant effect of this is that more girls are allowed to catch up on missed formal education and learn at a convenient pace. Also, with the wealth of tools available through digital learning such as video tutorials, educational apps, and interactive platforms for feedback, the African Girl child can explore learning opportunities in fields that have ordinarily been seen as male-dominated.
With a growing need for more female representation in fields like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), digital learning can help steer more females into such fields leading to a rise in a new generation of female engineers, and scientists who understand the challenges of the continent and are innovating solutions to address these challenges.
While challenges such as access to electricity to power digital devices along with access to reliable internet continue to pose a challenge to unlocking the possibilities for Africa’s future, governments, and non-profit organizations must consider efforts for collaboration to provide the infrastructure that would address shortfalls, especially in rural communities.
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act which was a U.S. federal law signed by Pres. George W. Bush in January 2002, reminded us of the importance of ensuring increased accessibility to education for children across all levels. Committing ourselves within the continent through the enactment of acts that address the educational deficiencies through the use of digital technology to foster digital learning will go a long way in ensuring the future of the African continent is secured in her children.
Okechukwu Nzeribe works with the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, in Anambra State, Nigeria, and loves unveiling the richness of African cultures. okechukwu.onicima@gmail.com