A software company that specialises in educational application technology, Dynamiss and Microsoft have called on the Nigerian government, schools, parents and students to take advantage of the current globalisation and spread of technology to develop the country’s education system and connect it to the global digital education system.
To back up the call, the organisations have unveiled the latest digital learning project known as the LP365 application for Nigerian schools to put them on the same educational platform with their counterparts around the world, as well as serve as a dashboard for students’ curricula activities.
Speaking at the launch of the digital application in Lagos recently, the Country Director for Dynamiss, Mr. LoluElegbe, decried the little or non-availability of digital education in Nigeria, adding that the most disturbing situation in the country’s education sector is that students, teachers, schools and parents are still far behind in terms of technology and digital knowledge.
He said part of the problems in promoting the education system in Nigeria is lack of digital learning materials, support and knowhow “and we are still far behind other countries in terms of technology and digital knowledge so today all we are trying to do is to bridge that gap between where we are and where we need to be as a country from a digital point of view.
“What this application does is that it starts to teach students from a young age to university level. So we are also making sure that the ones in the university that are about to enter the job market have that digital skill sets they need. We are also making sure that the younger ones who are digital natives grow up seamlessly with it. We trying to make sure that they have the skills set from an early age which would see them all the way through.”
Elegbe added: “We are selling to schools in Nigeria at a discounted rate with Microsoft’s support because the application is built on a Microsoft platform which transforms Word, Excel, Power Point, One Note and every other package we use in our day-to-day activities into our school virtual classroom. What Microsoft is also doing is that it is adding its imagined academy to become part of our offerings.”
The Head of Sale, Angela Oyekanmi stated that Dynamiss’ objective is to drive digital education in Nigeria and that Microsoft has a mandate to carry out such project. “The tech giant is supporting this project led by Dynamiss because we have the same goal to inculcate digital literacy in all the education community.
“We want our children to be able to compete effectively with their counterparts globally. Also, because of the negative side of the foreign exchange, we have been able to get children to a state where they can get digital learning in Nigeria, not overseas, and this is our primary goal.”
In her remarks, Microsoft’s Head in Nigeria, Miss Jordan Belmounte said the official launch of the initiative, LP365 application, into the market would help Nigerian schools understand how to get access to financing to afford the solution digitally; how to get access to affordable devices, hardware, and use them as solution to educational puzzles.
“Also, as we launch this, we are helping the audience understand how this can be impactful in their environment.”
While explaining how it works, Belmounte said the application is like an online dashboard for all subjects, where a teacher can upload series of documents, including videos and audios. “So instead of opening a handout or notebook, you simply open your class dashboard which contains all the documents related to the subjects you offer.
“So they can upload in real time the most current information about that subject area. It is like outdating textbook because it lacks current information on the subject area…it is a scientific class but they can still upload materials like educative digital and video games and make the experience very interesting for students. The application also helps kill boredom and makes education interesting and engaging for students.”
