Emma Okonji
Giving the impact of technology on various sectors of the Nigerian economy, industry stakeholders in the education sector have emphasised the importance of infusing technology in education, adding that digitalization of the school system is an opportunity to develop cognitive resource-based mechanism among students at various levels.
The stakeholders said this in Lagos during the launch of a software-as-a-service ecosystem platform, called Educatial, that was developed by a team of indigenous software engineers to promote digital teaching and learning in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
Speaking, Senior Special Assistant to the governor of Lagos State on education, Dr. Adetola Salau, said technology in education would bring about democracy of knowledge where education becomes a collaborative and self-driven enterprise.
Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Fisayo, who was represented by the Director, Private School Registration and Coordination, Mrs. Grace Akinfoyewa, commended the drivers of the initiative of Educatial for coming up with a digital solution that would revolutionise education in the state and the country at large. According to her, Lagos State government is also driving digital education across Lagos schools through its e-Curriculum. “Teachers and students in the state have been introduced to digital learning skills that are driving critical thinking among students,” Akinfoyewa said.
In his welcome speech, the Founder of Educatial, Mr. Francis Muofunanya, said Educatial was developed as the next-gen EdTech ecosystem, focused on transforming learning for immediate and future generation of students.
“Educatial comes with more than 20 uniquely different but interconnected tools that are engaging, effective, impactful, fun to use and at the same time useful in community-led learning. Our platform is built to simplify the management of educational institutions, offering a suite of powerful software tools that streamline daily operations, improve students’ outcome and enhance overall learning experience, Muofunanya said.
According to him, the digital solution is able to offer schools with student management systems, online learning platforms, digital libraries and parent communication portals.
Delivering a detailed presentation of the solution, Digital Strategist and Software Engineer, Mr. Celestine Achi, enumerated some of the Educatial product features to include EduSims, which is an integrated information school management system that operates a robust, secure and centralised data information management platform with a suite of portals for parents, students and staff that give schools full control of administrative, academic, admissions, finance and wellbeing information.
Other unique features include EduSocials- a social media network designed to bridge social and educational gaps among students, teachers and across institutions worldwide; EduFund, a feature that bridges the gap between education and funding by providing easy access to funds for students and schools; and EduInteliigence, which provides useful insights on learners and administrators’ performances.
According to Achi, Educatial is also useful for training centres and professional bodies such as ICAN, Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, Institute of Marketing, among others. Educatial is also very useful for content creators, study-at-home learners, government agencies, churches, among others.
