A tablet a day

THERE are millions of children out of school in the conflict-ridden northeast of Nigeria, but in one classroom the future is looking brighter. In a co-educational private secondary school in Yola, the capital of Adamawa state, teenagers each sit in front of a computer. They are enrolled in an extra-curricular class run by the nearby American University of Nigeria (AUN), which prepares them for university degrees in science, technology, maths and engineering. At the front of the class, their teacher-an engaging doctor from the university-uses a $40 credit card-sized computer known as a 'Raspberry Pi' to project mathematical charts on a whiteboard.

The youngsters here are bright, computer smart, and ambitious. They say they would like Nigeria to have a Chinese-style tech revolution-and their teacher agrees. This is one of 22 private schools in which AUN runs these classes. But he says this is not just something for the elite. At a few dollars apiece, he sees no reason why every school in the country should not be using this kind of technology to improve teaching outcomes.

Nigeria is facing one of the world's worst learning crises and desperately needs to rethink education. Thanks to rapid population growth, there are now more than 10m out of school children here-one in in five of the global total. And being enrolled in Nigerian school does not mean you'll receive a decent education either. UNESCO estimates that in 2008, almost a third of men aged 15-29 with six years of education were illiterate. That's mostly due to the lack of books and inept teachers. AUN reckons that at least 300,000 teachers working in the country do not have adequate training. On top of that, the UN says that Nigeria needs almost 400,000 new teachers by next year, just to achieve universal primary education. The requirements are gargantuan. Traditional methods, education experts say, will not work.

But techies argue that computers, tablets and phones can help. Growing connectivity makes it easier to reach students through technology than traditional teaching methods. In classrooms where books are scarce, teachers can use free online resources to keep their lessons up to date. Apps make classes more interactive, banishing ineffective rote learning.

In a shabby government school in Yola, the benefits are clear. Every day, highly educated volunteers from AUN spend after school hours with primary students. Big classes are divided up into groups of four, each with its own teacher and tablet computer. They use apps to improve literacy, numeracy and critical thinking skills. The teachers here say that after only a few months, learning outcomes are already improving. AUN hopes to roll out this programme throughout the region, and doesn't see why other decent Nigerian universities can't do the same elsewhere.

It's hard to imagine similar schemes taking root further north, where the terrorist organisation Boko Haram has its stronghold and security makes schooling near impossible. It is equally difficult to see an ineffectual government distributing technology to schools through the country. But in one northeastern state, at least, private actors are bringing a new approach to education; and a handful of children have the hope of a better future.

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