Secondary School Students Advocates for Inclusion of Digital Literacy in Curriculum

By Beatrice Gondyi Bauchi

Students from Jama’are and Itas-Gadau Local Government Areas of Bauchi State have called on the Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to introduce new methods in their curriculum activities that will equip them for the digital world.

The plea was made during a digital rights training organized by the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in partnership with Ndukwe Kalu Foundation (NKF).

The training, which aims to empower students on how to protect and understand their digital rights, has garnered significant interest, with about 4,000 students expected to benefit across Bauchi, Jigawa, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The Ndukwe Kalu Foundation sponsored CITAD to conduct the program in Bauchi and other participating states.

To this end, Students from JIBWIS Science Secondary School and Assasul Islam Academy in Jama’are Local Government Area expressed their enthusiasm for the training, stating that it will undoubtedly improve their academic outcomes and digital literacy.

According to Maryam Harisu Dauda, Asiya Shamaki, Rabi’atu Shitu Musa and Muh’d Rabi’u Ibrahim all from Jama’are LGA, said this training will help us to become more digitally literate and enhance our academic performance.

Similarly, students from Government Junior Secondary School Itas in Itas-Gadau LGA shared their experiences, noting that before the training, they had limited access to smartphones and lacked knowledge on online safety.

Ibrahim Khalil Umar, Ibrahim Muh’d Ibrahim, Khadija Kabir Shehu and Hamida Harisu Aliyu, who are beneficiaries of the program from Itas-Gadau Local Government, said we’re grateful to CITAD and NKF for giving us the opportunity to participate in this three-week orientation.

In their separate remarks, The Training Officers for the CITAD-NKF project, Mr. Na’im Suleiman from Itas-Gadau LGA and his counterpart Dahiru Abubakar Kundi of Jama’are LGA, emphasized the need for other NGOs to emulate this initiative by building the capacity of young people, particularly in rural areas.

They noted that the training is timely, given the impact of the digital era, and called on parents and guardians to support their children’s development to shape the future leaders.