Challenges Facing E-leaning in Nigeria

 

The History of Written Literature in Nigeria

Written literature appeared in Northern Nigeria, home to the Hausa people, in the 14th century, brought by Arab traders and scholars. In the south, literacy spread in the 19th century through missionaries wanting to disseminate the Bible.

Nigerian Literature (written or oral) has evolved over the years. With the earliest records of written literature were found in the northern region in the 14th century brought by Arab traders and later in the south and western parts of Nigeria through missionaries and the translation of the Bible.. Nigerian literature, thus evolved as a result of contact with Arab merchants and colonial missionaries. As a result, Nigerian Literature was characterised by the encounters and experiences of the various encounters. A lot, however, about the tradition and culture of its people before colonial contact has often been overlooked or not very evident in its literature although this assertion can be argued as some of the earliest writings from Nigerian literature like Amos Tutuola’s the Palmwine Drinkard gave some credit to the existence of indigenous Yoruba myths and folktales. Hausa? It has become imperative to align with the various trends that have been associated with Nigerian Literature

There is a need for the translation and transmission of Nigerian Literature into acceptable and accessible forms. Although the literacy rate in Nigeria according to GlobalData ranking (2023), Nigerian literacy rate is now at about 62.02% yet very few have access to gadgets or digital platforms.

E-learning is faced with a lot of challenges in Nigerian. These challenges include inability of teachers to equip the students with the adequate knowledge of e-learning especially at the primary and secondary school levels. Only few schools, which are mostly privately owned, can boast of a few computers for their students learning. Because these electronic devises are expensive to acquire and maintain, the students and teachers hardly own one. As such, when the students get to the university, they are equally lost when they are faced with e-learning projects.

Olutola and Olatoye in their study titled Challenges of E-Learning Technologies in Nigerian University Education identified four obstacles affecting the total implementation of e-learning in developing countries. They are 

1. Connectivity: Limited or lack of connectivity in many developing countries including Nigeria Universities impedes access to online learning e.g. (E-learning). 

2. Equipment: E-learning requires equipment that can facilitate learning, but in some of Nigeria universities, the equipment such as computers, digital technology, and internet are not available for proper utilization. 

3. Software: Software enables educators to design and develop learning content. These softwares are costly and not available for use in some of our universities, to facilitate e-learning program. 

4. Training: No combination of connectivity, equipment and software will achieve anything if people are not trained to use them (Daniel, 2009). 

Plateau State University, Bokkos, prides itself among the new generation group of universities making positive efforts and impact in the digital world; yet, the situation is not different. Some lecturers and students have not learned to use some of the e-learning equipment; most of them are only starting to pay attention to it due to the increasing need for it in recent times. Access to digital versions of texts have proved difficult. For instance, in the Department of English, our students barely have access to electronic versions of the literature that they use. This has affected e-learning programmes in the university. Many students lack confidence and experience with computers; some of them lack skills to use common applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point; this affects their participation in e-learning. 

However, in the Department of English, there are a few computers meant for the language laboratory, which can equally be used for e-literature. Yet internet connectivity, computer programs, and electricity are still a problem. Consequently, access to digital versions of texts have proved difficult.  The cost of providing stable internet connectivity is high such that the school may not be ready to provide the much that would be needed for e-learning. Computer software can be very expensive that the school may equally not be willing to provide. The electricity supply in the university is poor; therefore, it is usally inadequate for e-learning. Unfortunately, only few students have their personal electronic devises that can be used for e-learning.