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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Benue State Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), has trained 40 master trainers to drive digital literacy across schools in the state, with a target of reaching 1,000 teachers in the next phase.
The four-day intensive training, held in Makurdi, focused on the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), with emphasis on digital literacy, blended learning, integration of generative artificial intelligence into classroom teaching and the configuration of NLP tablets in Benue State.
The training is designed to strengthen teachers’ capacity in modern learning approaches, equipping them with skills to deliver lessons both physically and remotely, while ensuring continuous access to quality education through digital platforms.
Speaking during the training in Makurdi yesterday, the NLP Coordinator with UNICEF Abuja office, Dr. Harold Kpojime, explained that the newly constituted technical team would cascade the knowledge gained to teachers across all local government areas of Benue State.
According to him, the 40 participants were master trainers who would conduct step-down training sessions for 1,000 teachers in the coming weeks, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and SUBEB, which would also help identify beneficiary schools and teachers.
“So, we are here in Benue State today because we just constituted a new technical team to support NLP in Benue State. The team will undergo a couple of training sessions for a few days, the use of NLP, digital literacy, blended learning strategies for teachers and generative AI. And then the technical team here will cascade this training down to 1,000 teachers we plan to train. So, they are the master trainers.
“The whole idea for this training is to make our teachers digitally literate in the 21st century.”
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He noted that the training became necessary in response to the evolving nature of education, stressing that learning is no longer confined to the four walls of a classroom, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic when many countries adopted remote learning systems.
Dr. Kpojime further revealed that the NLP, launched in March 2022, through a collaboration involving UNICEF, Microsoft, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Federal Ministry of Education, has recorded over 2.3 million users nationwide, including 1.9 million learners.
He added that the platform hosts more than 16,000 curriculum-aligned lessons and provides resources for students, teachers, parents and administrators, enabling learners from early education to senior secondary level to access courses and in some cases, earn certifications.
To support the deployment of digital learning in Benue, Kpojime said UNICEF and its partners, including TECNO and Airtel, have supplied tablets and connectivity support, with 660 tablets already allocated to the state, adding that currently, 380 of these devices are being reconfigured by UNICEF for redistribution to schools.
He also highlighted Airtel’s role in whitelisting the NLP platform, allowing users to access educational content without data charges, while calling on other service providers to support the initiative, particularly in areas with limited network coverage.
On his part, the UNICEF Desk Officer at the Benue State Ministry of Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Emmanuel Ngulum, expressed satisfaction with the training, noting that participants demonstrated strong commitment and enthusiasm as they began to grasp the relevance of digital literacy to both teaching and personal development.
Some of the master trainers, including Mr. Innocent Labeh from the College of Education, Katsina-Ala and Precious Terhemba, from SUBEB described the training as impactful, saying it had broadened their understanding of digital tools and their application in teaching and learning.
They pledged to transfer the knowledge to other teachers and promote the effective use of digital devices for learning beyond social media engagement.
