THE Gani Adams Foundations (GAF) has joined the world to celebrate the World Literacy Day.
Fifty-one years ago, United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) proclaimed September 8 as International Literacy Day to mobilise the international community to promote literacy as an instrument for empowerment.
The Osun Hall of the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja venue of the event, was filled with intellectuals, cultural enthusiasts, media practitioners, teachers and pupils who lent their voices to the importance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the 20th century.
GAF’s Chairman/Managing Director, Otunba Gani Adams, who was excited with this year’s theme: ‘Literacy in the digital world’, underscored the need for Africans to shift from ‘analogue operation’.
In her lecture titled: ‘Literacy in a digital world’, Dr Kemi Ojemoghaat of the Department of Adult Education, University of Lagos (UNILAG), described digital literacy as a sine qua non to living, adding that technology dictates communication and interaction within mankind.
She called on the government to make digital literacy affordable, and create a link between the teaching of ICT in schools and industries.
She said: “A survey conducted by Research ICT Africa in 2011, disclosed that 70 per cent of non- internet users in Nigeria say affordability is the main reason for not using the internet. The majority of internet users in Nigeria access it exclusively using mobile devices. Smart phones and tablets have become very popular in Nigeria.
“Nevertheless, a mobile broadband cost is high for most people in a country like Nigeria where low per capita incomes subsists.’’
She continued: “The ICT curriculum does not provide the skills that industry value. Despite support from the government, many ICT teachers still do not have the qualifications or knowledge to teach the computing curriculum. Given the pace of technological advances, it will always be a challenge for schools to keep up with the latest innovations.”
A retired professor of African Philosophy at UNILAG, Sophie Oluwole, lamented the loss of Yoruba oral tradition, which according to her, forms the bedrock of knowledge acquisition.
Ifa, Oluwole explained, is a warehouse of knowledge, which cuts across all disciplines including ICT, if acquired.
“If Ifa has over 256 odu and yet our fore fathers without the knowledge of reading and writing, were able to not only memorise, but also passed same to the next generation. Unfortunately, the influence of modern religions have made those practice look fetish or Satanic to an average Yoruba. But I can tell you that Ifa is the bedrock of intellectual knowledge which can be learned to derive new inspirations in engineering, science,and ICT, just name it.”
Oluwole said it was not too late for Nigeria to ape Asian countries, such as Japan, China, and Malaysia, which have attained technological advancement through adoption of their mother tongue as official languages.
Adams said he was praised the UN for the choice of the theme.
“I love this year’s theme,” he said.
“Truth is, the world is going digital and the United Nations through the theme, is challenging us to drastically reduce our analogue way of doing things.
“Some developed societies no longer conduct their activities manually. Even some corporate bodies and institutions are going digital. Some conduct paperless meetings. This reduces work load or hauling of papers and files from one office to another.
“For instance, the mobile phones we use have several applications beyond mere making and receiving calls; unfortunately, most of us only use it to make calls, and failing to utilise other apps for knowledge possession.”
Adams said GAF had identified with the UN through propagating, organising interactive sessions and giving educational materials to schools.
Source...
Fifty-one years ago, United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) proclaimed September 8 as International Literacy Day to mobilise the international community to promote literacy as an instrument for empowerment.
The Osun Hall of the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja venue of the event, was filled with intellectuals, cultural enthusiasts, media practitioners, teachers and pupils who lent their voices to the importance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the 20th century.
GAF’s Chairman/Managing Director, Otunba Gani Adams, who was excited with this year’s theme: ‘Literacy in the digital world’, underscored the need for Africans to shift from ‘analogue operation’.
In her lecture titled: ‘Literacy in a digital world’, Dr Kemi Ojemoghaat of the Department of Adult Education, University of Lagos (UNILAG), described digital literacy as a sine qua non to living, adding that technology dictates communication and interaction within mankind.
She called on the government to make digital literacy affordable, and create a link between the teaching of ICT in schools and industries.
She said: “A survey conducted by Research ICT Africa in 2011, disclosed that 70 per cent of non- internet users in Nigeria say affordability is the main reason for not using the internet. The majority of internet users in Nigeria access it exclusively using mobile devices. Smart phones and tablets have become very popular in Nigeria.
“Nevertheless, a mobile broadband cost is high for most people in a country like Nigeria where low per capita incomes subsists.’’
She continued: “The ICT curriculum does not provide the skills that industry value. Despite support from the government, many ICT teachers still do not have the qualifications or knowledge to teach the computing curriculum. Given the pace of technological advances, it will always be a challenge for schools to keep up with the latest innovations.”
A retired professor of African Philosophy at UNILAG, Sophie Oluwole, lamented the loss of Yoruba oral tradition, which according to her, forms the bedrock of knowledge acquisition.
Ifa, Oluwole explained, is a warehouse of knowledge, which cuts across all disciplines including ICT, if acquired.
“If Ifa has over 256 odu and yet our fore fathers without the knowledge of reading and writing, were able to not only memorise, but also passed same to the next generation. Unfortunately, the influence of modern religions have made those practice look fetish or Satanic to an average Yoruba. But I can tell you that Ifa is the bedrock of intellectual knowledge which can be learned to derive new inspirations in engineering, science,and ICT, just name it.”
Oluwole said it was not too late for Nigeria to ape Asian countries, such as Japan, China, and Malaysia, which have attained technological advancement through adoption of their mother tongue as official languages.
Adams said he was praised the UN for the choice of the theme.
“I love this year’s theme,” he said.
“Truth is, the world is going digital and the United Nations through the theme, is challenging us to drastically reduce our analogue way of doing things.
“Some developed societies no longer conduct their activities manually. Even some corporate bodies and institutions are going digital. Some conduct paperless meetings. This reduces work load or hauling of papers and files from one office to another.
“For instance, the mobile phones we use have several applications beyond mere making and receiving calls; unfortunately, most of us only use it to make calls, and failing to utilise other apps for knowledge possession.”
Adams said GAF had identified with the UN through propagating, organising interactive sessions and giving educational materials to schools.
Source...
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