Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom in FCT-Abuja Nigeria/Overview

Overview

For many years in Nigeria, the four-level system of Education - Creach, Basic, Secondary, and Tertiary Education has always been based on books, chalkboards, Lectures, in-person activities that were carried out in formal settings (Classrooms, Libraries, Halls, etc). With the advent of technology which revolutionized and improved service delivery in different sectors including education, the system of teaching and learning requires substantial change through the introduction of various aspects of digital learning and personalizing education. This explains the United Nations 2030 agenda which proposed an innovative and creative educational system. To take advantage of the evolving realities, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education adjusted Nigerian educational policies prioritizing MIL and ICTs as key 21st-century skills which include developing competency in critical thinking, effective communication, collaboration, and creativity. However, the policy and its implementation did not emphasize the need for Open Education Resources (OER) as a vital tool to achieve the required goal. It seems not to recognize the importance of media and information literacy; understanding how information is accessed; and how students can use information accessed to guard against misinformation and fake news. This poses significant challenges for both students and teachers. There is therefore the need for dedicated effort to fill this gap in Nigerian policy implementation. The reading Wikipedia in the classroom program is most fitting to provide this support. It is proposed to conduct the reading Wikipedia in the classroom project in FCT Abuja, Nigeria. This project is proposed to train 70 Nigerian secondary school teachers in both Private and Public Schools. In this project, we will be adopting the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Framework to empower these teachers to successfully acquire the knowledge, attitude, and skills on how to access, interpret, organize, and use information effectively using Wikipedia and other sister projects as a tool. Furthermore, the program will also help the teachers minimize costs associated with the regular purchasing of teaching aids, and the loss of and preservation of teaching materials. They will be able to mentor, guide, or coach students on how to identify fake and misinformation online. It will equally boost teaching and learning.