What is the Basic Digital Education Initiative (BDEI)?

Introduction

The Basic Digital Education Initiative is a transformative program that aims to provide experiential learning computer education to 500,000 public school students in selected states across Nigeria over five years. The primary objective of this program is to introduce learners from low-income communities to digital literacy and equip them with the essential digital skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.

Through this program, we plan to develop fundamental digital competencies among the students, including computer proficiency, safe online communication, information retrieval, digital content creation, collaboration, and digital content management. We plan to do this by equipping students with digital skills so that we can bridge the digital divide and empower them to navigate the digital landscape confidently.

Program Implementation and Partnership with ADM-Cares

Over the next one year, we will be implementing this program in partnership with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Cares to reach 50,000 beneficiaries in three states in Nigeria; Lagos, Ekiti, and Ogun. ADM Cares is an initiative that optimizes social impacts around the world through partnerships that advance multiple focus areas like sustainability, hunger relief, and education, with a focus on agricultural education and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines, while advancing several of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Under this partnership, the program will be divided into two phases. The first phase involves the Train-the-Trainer (TOT), where we identify 200 teachers (2 teachers per school) in the identified states, who will receive basic digital literacy training. We will equip these teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to redeliver the training curriculum effectively. This approach ensures sustainability and scalability as it leverages the expertise of qualified educators.

In the second phase, the trained teachers will begin redelivering the training to the students in their schools. The goal is to reach 50,000 students (500 students per school). This approach allows for the efficient dissemination of digital education to many learners, maximizing the program’s impact.

Conclusion

We are excited about this project because the Basic Digital Education Initiative holds immense potential to empower Nigerian students with the digital skills required in the modern world. The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide and foster a more inclusive educational environment by providing equal opportunities for learners in low-income communities.

Through its comprehensive curriculum and innovative implementation approaches of the BDEI program, we aim to revolutionize education in Nigeria, equipping students with the necessary tools to succeed in the digital age.