Advertisers Association of Nigeria
  • About ADVAN
    • Who We Are
    • ADVAN Members
  • Membership
    • Member Benefits
    • Individual/MSME Memebership
    • Become a Member
  • Knowledge Base
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Gallery
  • News
    • ADVAN News
    • Sponsored Contents
    • Vacancies
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN)
  • About ADVAN
    • Who We Are
    • ADVAN Members
  • Membership
    • Member Benefits
    • Individual/MSME Memebership
    • Become a Member
  • Knowledge Base
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Gallery
  • News
    • ADVAN News
    • Sponsored Contents
    • Vacancies
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN)
No Result
View All Result

International Literacy Day 2020: FirstBank Set The Pace With Innovative e-learning Solutions

by Admin
10 September 2020
in Sponsored Contents
0
International Literacy Day 2020: FirstBank Set The Pace With Innovative e-learning Solutions
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare to WhatsApp

By Eche Munonye

Covid-19 brought a huge challenge to education and literacy, First Bank of Nigeria Limited responded with a Rosetta stone of innovative e-learning initiatives that have far-reaching effects

 

Since 1967 that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been celebrating International Literacy Day to promote the importance of literacy and education, every September 8 had witnessed book gifting, book reading and related activities are undertaken by the UN body and its coalition of partners.

 

But this year is a departure as such enshrined activities are suspended and replaced with virtual meetings, a gesture that reflects the sign of the precarious situation of the world is as it is grappling with the devastating coronavirus pandemic.

 

Education has been in a state of limbo since schools––primary, secondary and tertiary institutions––and research institutes across the world were abruptly shut down as countries enforced lockdown to contain the ravages of the novel Covid-19. The disruption, a setback for education globally, inevitably fostered a lull in the effort to enhance literacy. And in the meantime, the world shifted to an alternative learning method which, by and large, is narrowed down to digital learning.

 

These challenges provided the backdrop for the theme of this year’s International Literacy Day: “Literacy Teaching and Learning in the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond,” which threw open discourse on how innovative and effective education and teaching methodologies are to be adopted or adapted in youth and adult literacy programmes during the period of the pandemic and beyond. In line with this thematic direction, countries are reviewing how they have fared in the new normal, and evaluation of various initiatives by individuals, corporate bodies and governments are being undertaken to ascertain how they align with the reality and what gaps needed to be filled.

 

For Nigeria, the stake is higher. Burdened with a high rate of illiteracy, inadequate digital infrastructure and an economy in dire straits, Nigeria has on its hand a challenging learning situation in the of the new order. The possibility of the country being further left behind in the race to literacy was writ large, an uncomfortable fact that raised several legitimate concerns bordering on how to ensure that students have access to learning resources, how they can be fully engaged to make them competitive internationally with their peers and how such engagement can help close the gap created by the closure of all educational institutions nationwide.  While a cocktail of initiatives surfaced in the past few months to address these concerns and challenges, there was none as suitable, comprehensive and far-reaching as the e-learning initiatives of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited.

 

The initiative which could as well be nicknamed “Operation Moving One Million Nigerian Students To e-Learning” is a tripartite effort between the bank, Lagos State government and Roducate, an innovative technology firm that is providing educational solutions that enable primary, secondary and university students to continue to study the government-accredited curriculum of various subjects and disciplines in the convenience of their home.

 

Out of the mushroom of e-learning platforms in the aftermath of the lockdown, the First Bank initiative came with a big difference: the Roducate e-learning platform is available for free at www.firstbanknigeria.com/e-learning.

 

Secondly, the content is boosted with value-added features such as tutorial videos, assignments, mock exam, note-taking, podcast and online games that further promote interactive learning and deepen digital skills of the learner.

 

Thirdly, the initiative is further reinforced with the provision of free 20, 000 units of e-learning devices for pupils, which FirstBank presented to the Lagos State government on June 11. This helped to break the barriers of data cost and device affordability as the low-end smartphones are preloaded with offline content for children who may not have access to devices or data. By all means, this initiative has been an outstanding effort and a boon to digital learning in the country.

 

The inevitability of the adoption of e-learning technology goes hand-in-hand with the imperative of imparting skills in emerging digital technologies. In this regard, FirstBank went an extra mile with the rollout of complementary initiatives that justifiably empowered youths with the required capability.

The Bank’s partnership with IBM, for instance, brought the benefit of the global tech company’s Digital-Nation Africa programme to youths in tertiary institutions. The online youth-focused learning programme enables innovation and skills development on emerging technologies in key areas such as Artificial Intelligence, coding, cloud, internet of things, blockchain, Data Science and analytics, and cybersecurity. A second partnership with Curious Learning, a non-profit organisation renown for providing learning apps for kids, afforded pupils in the age range of three to eight years old the use of fun, self-guided learning apps to help them with their cognitive skills at a fundamental level.

The significance of the FirstBank e-learning initiatives cannot be overemphasized. As schools are gearing up to resume soon, there are over 10,000 sign-ups on the Roducate e-learning platform. It is expected that the students have had a grasp of the nitty-gritty of e-learning which, going forward, is expected to be integrated into the country’s educational system.

 

For FirstBank, a member of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, the initiatives are an attestation to its longstanding tradition of supporting education in various ways, a commitment succinctly echoed by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adesola Adeduntan: “The e-learning initiative aligns with our Corporate Responsibility and sustainability initiatives and falls under one of our key strategic pillars, thus Education through Support to our Communities.” Indeed, the Bank has a portfolio of projects in support of education, including infrastructure projects in 10 universities and three secondary schools, support for professorial chairs in 10 universities and teaching of financial literacy and entrepreneurial and career counselling to over 80,000 students in over 80 secondary schools in the country via its FutureFirst programme.

 

The e-learning initiatives further reinforced FirstBank’s status as an important stakeholder, leader and innovator in the country’s education space, a fact amplified by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who, having noted that the “intervention by FirstBank could not have come at a better time,” went on to declared his delight that the state government “have found a real development partner in FirstBank.”

Related Posts

Winner of the 61 st FirstBank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship gets listed in The World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)
ADVAN News

Winner of the 61 st FirstBank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship gets listed in The World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)

Emmanuel Ojeabulu, winner of the 61 st FirstBank Lagos Open Golf Championship has been listed in the WAGR. The...

5 December 2022
FINTECH 5.0: EVALUATING HOW FIRSTBANK STRENGTHENS COLLABORATION
ADVAN News

FirstBank Boosts The Business Operations Of Its Customers With a Bouquet Of Retail Product Offerings

FIRSTBANK BOOSTS THE BUSINESS OPERATIONS OF ITS CUSTOMERS WITH A BOUQUET OF RETAIL PRODUCT OFFERINGS   14 October 2022...

21 October 2022
FIRSTBANK REINFORCES ITS FINANCIAL INCLUSION DRIVE; DISBURSES OVER 17 BILLION NAIRA LOANS THROUGH FIRSTADVANCE
ADVAN News

FirstBank Rewards Customers In Its Ongoing Verve Card Campaign

FIRSTBANK PARTNERS VERVE INTERNATIONAL, MAKES CUSTOMERS MILLIONAIRES IN THE FIRSTBANK VERVE CARD PROMO In partnership with FirstBank – Nigeria’s...

27 September 2022
Sponsored Contents

2022 CR&S WEEK

FirstBank commemorates its annual Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability week and promotes kindness across over 7 countries The FirstBank CR&S...

25 August 2022
Next Post
FIRSTBANK PROMOTES CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF STAFF, GRADUATES THIRD SET OF ITS SENIOR MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (SMDP) PARTICIPANTS

FIRSTBANK PROMOTES CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF STAFF, GRADUATES THIRD SET OF ITS SENIOR MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (SMDP) PARTICIPANTS

Please login to join discussion
Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN)

Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) is the only association in Nigeria which represents the collective interests of ‘Advertisers’ (Corporate organizations that engage in high level marketing).

Subscribe Our Newsletter

© 2022 Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) - Designed by Accret.

No Result
View All Result
  • About ADVAN
    • Who We Are
    • ADVAN Members
  • Membership
    • Member Benefits
    • Individual/MSME Memebership
    • Become a Member
  • Knowledge Base
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Gallery
  • News
    • ADVAN News
    • Sponsored Contents
    • Vacancies
  • Contact

© 2022 Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) - Designed by Accret.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT