A Role for Technology in Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Situation

The Nigerian students have been adversely impacted by the lingering impasse between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Nigeria. This piece explores the potential role of technology to address some of the issues.

Background of ASUU strike

ASUU is the Nigerian union of university academic staff, founded in 1978 and can be dubbed the most striking union. Since the signing of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the union has taken up strike action every year bar 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2022. The cumulative strike period was 972 days (almost three years).

The current ASUU strike, which started on February 14, began with a four-week warning strike due to the failure of the federal government to execute the MoU bothering on academic staff remuneration, alternative payroll system, improved funding for universities etc.

While the payment system is a significant issue, this is not the first time ASUU would strike because of it. In 2020, the union embarked on a nine-month strike for the non-payment of allowances to lecturers that were not enrolled under the government payroll system, which ASUU seeks to replace with theirs. ASUU had insisted that public universities will not resume until the renegotiated agreement of 2009 is signed and implemented. Also, they are demanding that their preferred University Transparency and Accountability Solution be deployed instead of the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system.

Impact on students, staff and Nigeria’s education standard

The ASUU strikes have led to a drop in education standards, one of the areas of concern that the strike sought to address. Due to the chronic strikes, many students seek employment for maintenance and keep busy during the strikes. There have been cases of students who have lost their lives during strike actions. Conversely, some students become successful with their start-up endeavours. Consequently, education becomes less of a priority for them when classes resume. This has led to an alarming increase in the number of university dropouts.

It is a commonplace for a Nigerian student to spend additional calendar years in the university. In a competitive market where age limits are used as a criterion for some jobs, graduates of public universities are left at a disadvantage. The Nigerian youth deserves better!

There has been a sharp increase in the number of students studying overseas for parents who can afford it. Those who cannot afford this struggle to send their wards to privately-owned universities here in Nigeria. It is estimated that Nigeria loses about 1.5 trillion naira every year to overseas studies.

The technology-related issues and how they may be resolved.

The major rift between the FGN and ASUU is the payment system. The federal government prefers the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS), a centralised payroll system that grants the federal government total control of personnel costs. The University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), preferred by ASUU, was created as an alternative (replacement) to IPPIS. ASUU claims that the IPPIS that the federal government uses in paying its workers is unsuitable for the Nigerian university system, e.g. it hinders collaboration through non-recognition of visiting lecturers on sabbaticals.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has also given its integrity test verdict on UTAS. The agency highlighted the areas where UTAS fell short. To resolve the issue and get lecturers back into lecture halls, ASUU will have to work on the points highlighted by NITDA. When these issues are resolved, the Federal government will be ready to accept UTAS as its preferred payroll for federal universities.

Potential Tech-based solutions

While waiting for ASUU/FGN to end their stand-off, Nigerians can look for other solutions to make education and learning more accessible. The growth of e-learning has been exponential, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. There are new technologies and global trends that Nigerians can embrace. Some of the recent global trends and educational opportunities that have created opportunities for students include:

1. E-learning on Social Networks: there are now platforms for custom content creation and social learning. These platforms help unite learning management systems and social networks. Students take full advantage of social networks.
2. E-learning in Software Development: Students can learn software development skills while waiting. For example, the German leader of enterprise software development, SAP, provides modules for programming for children of primary school age. There are also other courses for all ages.
3. E-learning and Adaptive Technologies: the continuous development of various adaptive technologies help shape individuality into learning. Courses are developed to suit students’ individual needs, diversifying the courses range and meeting the demands of students. The knewton platform, for example, allows for their lessons to be customised to the needs of each student and involve all participants through dialogue.
4. E-learning and Online Classrooms: the internal walls of educational institutions are now being complemented with virtual classrooms. Augmented Reality (AR) makes it possible for students to gain the necessary learning experience. For fields like medicine, microbiology or biology, where there is a need to not only listen but also see information, AR technologies are helpful.

Interim fix for students

While waiting for the strike actions to end, students can use the different courses available free online. There are a lot of websites that offer courses from top universities all over the world. This makes it possible to learn various subjects with a nil or moderate financial commitment. These websites provide video, audio, e-books and articles to increase knowledge. Such websites include Coursera, Udemy, Udacity, Edx, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare, Alison, Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare, Open culture, Connections Academy, Academic Earth, Standford Online and Harvard Extension..

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