The Nigerian government has launched a new digital platform called the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service Cloud Server (FEQAS-collect).
The platform, which was unveiled by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, is designed to streamline the collection, analysis, and reporting of data related to the quality of education in schools across Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch event in Abuja, Dr. Sununu, who was represented by the Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Abubakar Isa, explained that the new cloud-based system will help the Federal Ministry of Education to better monitor, evaluate, and improve education quality assurance processes nationwide.
The key features of the FEQAS-collect platform include:
1. Enhanced data capturing and management: The digital system will allow for more efficient and accurate collection of data from schools, compared to the previous manual process.
2. Streamlined processes and improved efficiency: By automating the data collection and reporting procedures, the platform will help to reduce delays and human errors.
3. Boosted collaboration and networking: The cloud-based nature of the system will facilitate better collaboration and information sharing among education stakeholders.
4. Scalability and flexibility: The platform is designed to be scalable and adaptable to accommodate the evolving needs of the education sector.
5. Strengthened security and data protection: The system incorporates robust security measures to safeguard the sensitive data collected from schools.
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, highlighted the key motivations behind the initiative. He explained that the manual conduct of school quality assurance evaluation and reporting was fraught with numerous challenges, including delays and human errors, necessitating the move to a digital solution.
“The progress in this direction was facilitated by the technical support the Commission received from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), leading to the development of ‘UBEC Collect,’ which is currently being used by Quality Assurance Officers in the Commission, State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), and Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAS),” Dr. Bobboyi said.
He added that the impact of the technological intervention in the school quality assurance evaluation process encouraged the decision to extend the facility to the Federal Quality Assurance Services (FEQAS) for the overall benefit of educational development in the country.
Mrs. Helen Okoro, the Director of Quality Assurance at UBEC, emphasized that the launch of the FEQAS-collect platform will help to align the efforts of both the Federal Education Quality Assurance Services (FEQAS) and UBEC Quality Assurance Officers (QAOs) towards a common goal of effectively monitoring and evaluating schools.
“The use of the digital Tablet in conducting school evaluation is meant to simplify the work of the field officers so that all areas of whole-school evaluation are effectively covered without difficulties,” Mrs. Okoro stated.
The launch of the FEQAS-collect platform is a significant step forward in Nigeria’s efforts to improve the quality of its basic and secondary education system. By leveraging digital technology, the government aims to enhance data-driven decision-making, promote collaboration among stakeholders, and ultimately, address the challenge of learning poverty in the country.
