Malam Kashifu Inuwa, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on Friday called for an overhaul of curriculums across all levels to meet the 21st Century digital skills.
Inuwa made the call during a meeting with the management team of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), led by its Executive Secretary, Prof. Ismail Junaidu, in Abuja.
The D-G said the review would be in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, to create millions of jobs by leveraging on digital technologies and achieving a digital literacy rate of 70 per cent by 2027.
“Digital technology has an important role to play in the design of the curriculum, content and processes due to evolution of technology.
“Disruptive technology has substituted the way of doing things worldwide, of which Nigeria as a country is not to be left behind.
“We must lead in developing a competency-based, outcome-focused curriculum that addresses the demands of the 21st century.
“This will enable us to produce a skilled workforce capable of meeting the needs of the Nigerian market and attracting investment from other countries,” he said.
According to him, integrating digital skills into the curriculum is crucial for national development and economic growth.
He further said that government policies and objectives, especially as relating to sustainable development, 21st century skills, digital economy, creative arts and digital technology, would create a pathway for nation building.
Earlier, Junaidu, the NERDC Executive Secretary, stated that they were charged with the primary responsibility of curriculum development for the country at all levels.
He, however, said it required inclusion of digital literacy as a critical area for the development of any country.
The ES noted that the visit was to scale up the existing partnership and to explore potential areas that both organisations would join forces for national development.
Junaidu added that the institution was also responsible for undertaking and promoting book development.
He further said that the institution was also responsible for local authorship for quality assurance, conducting educational research for public policies formulation and implementation and developing Nigerian languages.
