By YANGE IKYAA
The Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG), a coalition of organizations working together to promote sustainability within the telecommunication and technology sector, has urged business owners, particularly tech companies, to intervene in the education sector.
Emmanuel Asika, who is the country head of HP Nigeria, a TTSWG member company, made the call while speaking on the state of the educational sector in Nigeria during the Good Citizen Show on inspiration 92.3 FM recently.
He discussed how tech businesses can intervene in the educational sector and use technology to enhance the quality of education in Nigeria.
Asika highlighted the worrisome number of out-of-school children in the country and described the poor quality of education obtainable in most schools across the nation as a more alarming issue. To address these concerns, TTSWG encourages action from private business owners.
For example, HP Nigeria invests in both out-of-school children and teachers. This has led to its partnerships with 1Million Teachers, a Nigerian-founded international NGO that aims to create a world with adequate, high-quality teachers, and Teach for Nigeria.
Besides NGO partnerships, HP also runs initiatives, such as HP Life, a free skill-training program for entrepreneurs, business owners, and lifelong learners worldwide.
According to Asika, “transforming the educational sector requires an entire ecosystem moving in the right direction. Policy makers, education ministries, international donor organizations, local NGOs, telco companies, social entrepreneurs, educators, and purpose-driven multinational and local companies are all involved, each bringing their unique skills and value to the equation.
“At HP, through both financial investment and the sale of HP technology and products, we use the economic investment to widen economic opportunity and help the young and disadvantaged grow their skillsets.”
Promoting the concept of sustainability in education, the program shed light on the importance of TTSWG and the need for tech intervention in the education sector.
TTSWG intervenes in the education sector by enabling undergraduates in Nigerian universities to take part in internships and secondments with companies that are part of the group. This provides a valuable opportunity for bright minds in universities to learn from experts in their field.
TTSWG says it wants to bring sustainability to the common man and see the concept integrated into the systems of “our” member organizations. In Nigeria’s educational sector, it is crucial for tech businesses to spearhead human capacity development and sustainability efforts, as the government alone cannot fulfil this need, especially in the present times.
The conversation stressed the importance of a collaborative effort that involves all stakeholders, including the government, the private sector, educators, and students in integrating technology into education.
The TTSWG partnership serves as a critical example of joint action to ease industry-wide adoption of technological advancements.
