By Samuel Oyejola
Considering the level of education backwardness in the northern of the country compared to other parts, the Northern Governors Forum is set to embrace digital education to improve the level of education in the region Time Nigeria exclusively gathered.
According to the Chairman of the Nigeria Northern Governors Forum and the Governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima, the forum would set up an office in the secretariat of the Northern Governors Forum for easy coordination of the programme.
Shettima said this when he spoke with Time Nigeria recently in Abuja. He expressed his pleasure to the development noting that despite the level and standard of education in the north and the staggering number of out of school children, the part of the country would spearhead the innovation in the country.
“We want to set up a secretariat in the office of the northern Nigeria governors forum that will be charged with the responsibility of coordinating this programme. This is a game changer. Believe me, if we all embrace it there will be a paradigm shift.”
“Education is the key to changing the society. The present crops of leaders in the north are a brand new crop of leaders who will be working for the common good of the region”. He assured that the forum will push for other governors in the region who may not be enthusiastic about the development to key into it.
Also Speaking with Time Nigeria, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II who had recently announced that a law to regulate marriage in Kano would soon be enacted to regulate how man takes care of his wives and children in Islam explained that the idea is to bring education to out of school children especially in the rural environment.
“The idea is to bring education to out of school children in an environment where you don’t have connectivity, where you don’t have constant electricity, using tablets, using technology and giving them standards so that children in rural areas can be digitally educated as children anywhere in the world.” He said.
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Hassan Kukah was optimistic that the project would push back years of prejudice that has bedeviled the north. He said the digital education project is coming at a time the north needs to integrate quickly against the backdrop of Boko haram insurgency in the north.
“We can use this project to push back so many years of prejudice and difficulties that we have had in the northern Nigeria. My hope is that the young people who are waiting out there millions of them who are on the field that we will be able to give them a free life through this digital education which is coming at a very good time.
“It is a very good thing that can help us to really integrate very quickly especially in the backdrop of Boko Haram and its disastrous consequences for our nation,” he said.