There are millions of children out of school in the conflict-ridden
northeast of Nigeria, but in one classroom the future is looking
brighter. In a co-educational private secondary school in Yola, the
capital of Adamawa state, teenagers each sit in front of a computer.
They are enrolled in an extra-curricular class run by the nearby
American University of Nigeria (AUN), which prepares them for university
degrees in science, technology, maths and engineering. At the front of
the class, their teacher, an engaging doctor from the university uses a
$40 credit card-sized computer known as a ‘Raspberry Pi’ to project
mathematical charts on a whiteboard.
The youngsters here are
bright, computer smart, and ambitious. They say they would like Nigeria
to have a Chinese-style tech revolution and their teacher agrees. This
is one of 22 private schools in which AUN runs these classes. But he
says this is not just something for the elite. At a few dollars apiece,
he sees no reason why every school in the country should not be using
this kind of technology to improve teaching outcomes.
It’s hard to imagine similar schemes taking root further north, where
the terrorist organisation Boko Haram has its stronghold and security
makes schooling near impossible. It is equally difficult to see an
ineffectual government distributing technology to schools through the
country. But in one northeastern state, at least, private actors are
bringing a new approach to education; and a handful of children have the
hope of a better future.
Read more here: http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2014/07/using-technology-education-nigeria
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