The Sokoto State Government says it is working to fully digitalize its basic education system within the next two years.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmed Ala, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.
Prof. Ala explained that a fully digitalized system would improve the quality of teaching and learning in the state.
He added that it would also make it easier for the government to monitor teachers and ensure policies in the education sector are properly implemented.
“We want to fully digitize the information system in basic and secondary schools across Sokoto State,” Ala said.
He noted that the digital system would allow the government to assess teachers and principals based on performance, class attendance, and other duties. It would also help in keeping accurate administrative records.
So far, Ala said, the state has used the digital platform to rank schools. Those with 14 points and above are rated as very good, while schools scoring six points or less are considered poor.
The initiative, called the Education Management Information System (EMIS), is designed to provide up-to-date data on infrastructure, ICT, libraries, and other key areas of education.
“Digitization will also give development partners quick access to our strengths and weaknesses. This will support better planning, policy execution, and implementation,” Ala explained.
He added that another platform, the Teachers Management Information System (TMIS), will be used to gather and monitor data on teachers.
Prof. Ala stressed that the state is also committed to improving the quality of teachers because of their key role in building a literate society.
“We are carrying out strong and continuous training for teachers because we discovered that many do not have the right knowledge, skills, or experience to teach effectively in secondary schools,” he said.
According to him, the government has already conducted two rounds of training and successfully trained 2,500 teachers.
