INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS

INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS: A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO STRENGTHENING THE SECTOR FOR PRODUCTIVITY AND GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS WHAT TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE AND HOW IS IT BEING USED.

Introduction. Globally, access, equity and quality form the basis of every educational sector. These are defined largely by the adequacy or inadequacy of infrastructure as well as teachers. Buildings, classrooms, laboratories, and equipment- education infrastructure - are crucial elements of learning environments in schools and universities. There is strong evidence that high-quality infrastructure facilitates better instruction, improves student outcomes, and reduces dropout rates, among other benefits. In the 21 st Century Technology has been used to bridge the gap to overcome the challenges of physical infrastructure but the foundation of learning is still important which starts at the primary school level. What happens at the Primary level greatly enhances the outcomes at other stages of learning. Physical infrastructure and resources, Buildings, Equipment’s, laboratories Power and water etc. are still relevant. But Fundamentally for a nation with a huge population like Nigeria, a strategic approach and structured national Policy is necessary. Which the begs the question. Is our Education system really driven by a national Vision and identity? If it is then our focus should be how to make it relevant and effective. This where we should start from. Every nation has a national identity that drives there focus and then drives the education system and the economy. All tools, Technology, Funding, Incentives, Infrastructure, curriculum are driven by this vision and plan. Israel’s Economy driven by their vision and national security is central to this. Their Education and Innovation has created and economy with great assistance from its Military. The home of the world wide web and internet is the United States developed through satellite deployment for intelligence during the arms race. ARPA funded by the US defense department in 1969. The private sector has now owned it and America drives the tech world with the worlds richest men from the private sector. China has used its population to become a production center for the world using cheap labour and specializing in machinery and training to produce for the world. The head of the train where the engine is housed pulls along the rest of the carriages. Hence the focus of the nation drives its economy which provides jobs and pulls along the education system through its curriculum. I remember the song that we were thought in school when Nigeria was driven by agriculture and the need to be a production center for the rest of the world. Our children are being taught British and foreign curriculums in private schools and very little in Nigeria content. Its that national identity that allows us focus and then we become selective and strategic with the ideas we adopt. Importance of R and D.

Focus and Approach. With the background highlighted in the last slide, our approach to a national conference on education should be built on a national plan hence my submission and focus on the Intersectoral conversations. Blended learning and Technology for improved access as currently being provided by the Bridge Academy as an example is a Private sector intervention and has been one of the tools adopted in attempting to resolve the challenges facing us. The advantages of these tools are evident but to further the impact and solutions in our current situation, in assisting our national consciousness, is the conversations and collaborations that has to take place between the Privates sector and the Government. Hence the cross cutting issues of Policy and Governance is Government dependent. Without which there will always be a challenge even for Private sector participation. Whilst the Private sector focuses in supporting innovation and learning outcomes. . Education ultimately should provide employment. In the 21 st century, the alignment of learning to the job market is crucial.

Areas of Challenges to Consider. The role of policy at the three tiers of government – federal, state and local; and in particular, the importance of evidence-based policymaking Governance (Politics and Policy) accountability and transparency issues. Learning outcomes as an indicator of national development; Adopting an innovation-mindset/mainstreaming innovative thinking; Research and Development. Addressing funding gaps and potential opportunities for resource mobilisation; Mainstreaming the discussion across all academic levels (Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and specifically TVET) and Addressing Inclusiveness in Education.

Intersectoral Collaboration. My engagements in the education space has been from 2 perspectives and this provides the basis for my contribution. From a Private sector Perspective and member of ERIT and a Public sector role as consultant to LASTVEB. Lagos State Technical and Vocational Board. Intersectoral conversations in education on the back of a national Policy will involve deliberate focus on thinking the competitive advantages of the country with its population and national resource and develop strategies that will harness this potentials. A cursory look tells us that to do this we need to align the Ministry of Budget and Planning, Ministry of labour, Science and Technology, Finance, and Education to work in sync and then Engage with the Private sector participation in School governance. In this engagement, the value of having a School Board that assists with the Strategic plan, Budgeting, control and innovation cannot be over emphasized. Head of infrastructure. The blend of educationists with Private Sector experts in relevant areas of Governance, HR/ Finance/ IT/ Infrastructure/ Education/ School Relations etc. LASTVEB. The experience was driven by the State Government setting up a Technical Board to oversee its state Technical Education and also having a Private Sector Partnership office to enhance engagement with Private sector. In Technical Education as is the desire of other forms of education, employability is primary. The Employer based curriculum for employability based on use of local material essential. Industry Advisory teams were proposed and they covered various sectors of the economy and were to support the Technical schools with Curriculum upgrades, Train the trainers, Equipment and resource support, Occupational standards and assessments. The project only got to the stage of curriculum upgrades. But its short period saw a lot of benefits and alignments with the Industry. An example of the growth of the development of APPs by young Nigerian IT experts should be harnessed. Funding for research in developing APSS as tools to enhance the educational Technology infrastructure that is home grown can only be beneficial. The development of partnerships with the IT sector can lead to a lot of local innovations, Recently we heard Wakanow just bought an app developed by a student to assist youth corpers. In construction, the cultural mindset of building materials with blocks to change to gypsum will take time hence we have to build systems around ease of employment for the masses before we start to have modular systems to reduce the poverty challenges it has to be a gradual plan built around our real local challenges. This considered sustainability from use of local products and natural resources will develop a healthy supply chain and hence institute backward integration in our systems. Foreign Interventions come with the relevant tools that mostly have to be imported.