New module to add “online safety” in curriculum

Experts met on Wednesday to draft a standalone module to introduce online safety in school curriculum. The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), responsible for curriculum development, and the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) with support from Google, began developing the draft in the first quarter of 2018. The partnership was formalised only […]

Experts met on Wednesday to draft a standalone module to introduce online safety in school curriculum.

The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), responsible for curriculum development, and the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) with support from Google, began developing the draft in the first quarter of 2018.

The partnership was formalised only last week.

The addition to school curriculum aims to teach children this basics of digital safety, making them “safe, confident explorers of the online world,” said PPDC in a statement.

PPDC is a citizens sector organization pushing for increased citizens participation in governance through its Digital Inclusion and Safer Internet programme.

NERDC executive secretary Ismail Junaidu called the standalone expected as imperative to helping young people thrive in a digital era, insisting it would ensure “every Nigerian child gains knowledge on how to be responsible and safe in the online world.”

“The adoption of online safety in the Nigerian curriculum would enable our children to be responsible digital citizens who use the internet for socio-economic good,” said PPDC chief executive officer Nkemdilim Ilo.