Oyo Lawmaker, Dele Adeola Seeks Adoption Of Digital Lesson Notes For Teachers In Public Schools

The Oyo State House of Assembly has directed the House Committee on Education to interface with the Ministry of Education, TESCOM, SUBEB and all other stakeholders in education sector to marshall out plans on the adoption of digital lesson notes in both primary and secondary schools in Oyo State.

The motion titled: “NEED TO DIGITALIZE EDUCATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN PUBLIC PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE STATE THROUGH INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF E-LESSON NOTES FOR TEACHERS FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY” was moved by the Honourable representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju at the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Dele Adeola during the Plenary held yesterday.

Dele Adeola while discussing the motion at the Plenary, hinted on the need to phase out the traditional way of writing lesson notes by teachers in public schools as it has become obsolete and not in conformity with global standards and the increasing demand for usage of technology in education sector.

He said teachers in Oyo State have always been compelled to be duplicating manual lesson notes for several decades when they supposed to be utilizing their time for research, updating themselves with e-learning materials as well as engaging on innovation and adjustment to tech-driven world.

He said, it is imperative for all stakeholders in education sector to design a strategy for the adoption of e-lesson notes especially in this world where education is digitalized. He averred further that the manual way of writing lesson notes is an herculean task for teachers who are usually faced with several day to day activities especially in public schools where student-teacher ratio is still on the high side.

He mentioned some states in Southwest such as Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, as well as Edo, Kaduna and other States in Nigeria that have adopted e- lesson platform and has been proven effective.

Dele Adeola was quoted as saying:

“Teachers are nation builders who equip students with the knowledge and skill needed to drive innovation and development thereby encouraging analytical thinking and problem solving, which are essential for progress in science, technology and governance. However, as teaching profession is a noble and rewarding career globally, it can also be stressful and overwhelming depending on the educational system in operation. It is an acknowledged fact that, one of the significant challenges teacher face today is the daily and weekly task of writing lesson notes by hand (as traditional/manual way). This time consuming and labour – intensive process of writing lesson notes can take away from the time and energy teachers need to focus on what matters most – teaching and supporting their students. In addressing this challenge, I think it is high time for Government to take bull by the horn towards the adoption and implementation of e – lesson notes or printed lesson notes for teachers in public Primary and Secondary Schools in the State for improved efficiency. The printed lesson notes will be prepared in line with the education curriculum and scheme of work, ensuring that all teachers are teaching to the same standards and expectations, provided as PDF and printed or as softcopy for each teacher and making it easier for teachers to access via their Android phone and use the lesson notes. This can be updated annually to reflect changes or modifications in the Nigerian education curriculum with a view to ensuring that teachers have the most up to date resources and information.

“The e-lesson notes are digital version of traditional lesson plans, offering several advantages in modern education. The e- lesson notes digital platform affords the teachers easy accessibility to lesson notes anytime and anywhere making lesson preparation more flexible and efficient. Digital lesson notes are well – structured in such a way that it enables teachers to plan, modify and retrieve lessons thereby improving school/organization performance. With this new initiative if considered, teacher can share lesson notes with colleagues, administrators, and students, promoting teamwork and knowledge – sharing for enhanced collaboration. Unlike traditional notes, e- lesson notes allows the inclusion of videos, images, audio, and interactive elements, making lessons more engaging. E. Lesson notes saves time with the use of templates, automation, and cloud storage, reduce the time spent on manual documentation and lesson planning. Overall, e –lesson notes familiarizes teachers and students with digital tools, preparing them for tech-driven future thereby enhancing teaching efficiency, improving learning experiences and support the digital transformation of education.

He mentioned that Southwest States such as Lagos, Ogun and Ekiti States, Edo, Kaduna and other States in Nigeria have adopted e- lesson platform in their educational system.

While speaking, Hon. Gbenga Oyekola representing Atiba State Constituency supported the motion and commended Hon. Dele Adeola for the brilliant submission. He said that Oyo State is a pacesetter and that it cannot lag behind in adopting innovation. He further stated that some of the newly recruited TESCOM teachers who are tech-savvy and have had a stint of career in private schools where there has been adoption of digital learning have found it difficult to cope with public school environment due to the strenuous and archaic lesson plan. He however urged the House to summon all education stakeholders to a meeting to marshal out plan on the best possible way to adopt the e-learning materials.

In his words, Hon. Dawood Akanni D- Alameen representing Ibadan NorthWest State Constituency said there have been reports where writing of lesson notes has been causing psychological imbalance to teachers especially when they get home and this has become worrisome, hence, the need to take drastic measure to relieve teachers from time-consuming, obsolete, archaic and manual lesson plan.

The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Debo Ogundoyin commended the mover of the motion and resolved that the House Committee on Education should interface with the Ministry of Education and all stakeholders to chart a way forward on the adoption of digital lesson plan.