By Augustine Okezie
The newly developed National Standards for Information Technology Education would soon be implemented for the teaching and learning of Information technology at the basic school level.
Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during the 2014 Information technology Professionals’ Assembly.
He noted inadequacy of ICT infrastructure, low bandwidth for internet access and insufficient pool of IT professionals as challenges.
He said: “The recently developed national standards for IT education set clear standards for the teaching and learning of IT at all levels, for teachers, students, educational administrators and other stakeholders in education.”
“The IT standard documents have just been completed and I hope it will be implemented immediately after the formal launching.
“There is the problem of curriculum obsolescence and high curriculum dynamism, poor regulation of ICT education delivery and inequity in the distribution of ICT personnel.”
He stressed that both the public and private sectors must work together to address the challenges of sustaining developments in ICT and its global competitiveness.
The minister also said the outcome of the Year 2014information technology Professionals’ assembly would boost the needed turnaround in Information communication and technology education in the country.
“The outcome of this assembly will boost the much needed turn around in ICT in education and will be of immense benefit to our country.”
He, however, said the federal government would continue to strengthen the council so as to have a successful implementation of its Information technology education policy standards.
Speaking on the focus of the 2014 IT Professionals’ assembly, the chairman of the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria, Sekinat Yusuf, said the meeting was organised to harness the potentials of information technology for national development.