Education

Airtel Transforms Life of Toddler Blinded by Ritualists

Published

5 years ago

26/07/2020

The prompt intervention of one of the leading telecom companies in Nigeria, Airtel, in giving succour to a little boy, Master Sadiq Usman, has been applauded by a teacher.

In 2016, Sadiq was kidnapped and blinded by unknown persons suspected to be ritualists and his life almost crumbled but Airtel came into the picture and today, he now lives a surprisingly more productive life as a young student.

According to one of his teachers, Mr Ibrahim Yusuf Morah, the cash and equipment donations from Airtel and its employees made it possible for the school to reintegrate the boy.

Mr Morah is the lead tutor and head of the Special Education Unit at Professors International Group of Schools in Tudun Wadan, Zaria, Kaduna State.

Today, the teacher said, “Sadiq is in Primary 2 and one of our best students in the school –we have a nickname for him; we call him Professor.”

As a three-year-old, Sadiq Usman was seized from his neighbourhood in the Jushi area of Zaria by suspected organ thieves still at large. The assailants gouged out the pre-schooler’s eyes and abandoned him in a remote part of the town. The horrific incident devastated the boy’s family of eight and threw the village into a panic.

After passers-by found Sadiq and took him for treatment at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Professors International Group of Schools, Zaria offered to assist his indigent family by training him for free.

However, said Mr Morah, “We weren’t equipped with all the standard materials and apparatus needed to facilitate his learning. Although we were able to acquire the ones we could afford, what we had still wasn’t enough to fully help the boy with the academic support he really needed.”

Via the company’s Employees Volunteer Scheme, Airtel’s staff raised N400,000 for Sadiq’s tuition and donated several sophisticated training equipment to the school.

Some of the items presented included a Perkins Brailler, a laptop computer, a Braille Coacher, a Crammer-style abacus, and a Taylor frame, among others. Since this intervention three years ago, the teacher confirmed that Airtel has continued to completely pay for Sadiq’s education.

“After Airtel started paying [Sadiq’s] tuition fees, more people have reached out to us, asking to help, too. Some have donated clothing materials, among other things, for his upkeep. One person even donated a car to help with his transportation,” he added.

Airtel’s donations towards Sadiq’s rehabilitation have been beneficial, not only to the boy but also to his teachers, according to Mr Morah.

“Really, not only has Airtel’s contributions significantly helped him; it has further propelled me to tutor him better than I ever could,” he said.

Remarkably, he noted, the pupil has taken well to all the equipment provided by Airtel. “He particularly likes using the laptop Airtel got him as it came with a computer program called JAWS, which allows the visually impaired to read and operate a computer, using text-to-speech.”

Sadiq is also said to have developed the needed capacity to use a typewriter when there is no power on his laptop.

This “is a remarkable feat, considering the fact that most visually impaired children do not operate Perkins Brailler efficiently until they are about ten years of age. He started to type efficiently when he was only in primary 1.

“Another remarkable achievement is that Sadiq is now multilingual as he speaks four languages fluently, including French, Arabic and, of course, English and Hausa,” Mr Morah noted.

When Sadiq learnt of how the telecom company had saved him, Mr Morah said the school staff observed his gratitude.

“It gave him hope and we saw him go from being withdrawn to jovial and cheerful. Today, he feels loved and he understands what compassion means,” the teacher said.

Education

Why AI Education Should be Integrated into Nigeria’s School Curriculum

Published

4 days ago

10/07/2025

Business Post Contributor

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a driving force of the fourth educational revolution and a major carrier of the technological progress that is changing societies and economies globally.

Integrating AI into Nigeria`s school curriculum presents a transformative opportunity to improve learning outcomes, enhance teacher’s effectiveness, and enhance quality education.

The integration of AI into Nigeria’s school curriculum can enable the creation of advanced e-learning platforms that simulate classroom experience, automate repetitive tasks, and analyze data to optimize educational content.

AI`s growing influence on all aspects of daily life and society is reshaping the world, making AI literacy an essential skill for everyone. As a result, AI concepts should increasingly be integrated into both formal school curricula and out of school learning systems. AI literacy is now widely regarded as a critical competency that young learners must develop to thrive as future creators and innovators. AI should be an apparatus for learning so as to eliminate irrelevant courses in the curriculum and must be introduced from an early age.

There are other obstacles, such as the fact that many schools still lack computers, internet connection, and qualified staff. AI, on the other hand, has the potential to be a game changing equalizer by providing standardized, superior resources such as internet infrastructure regardless of location.

Benefit of Introducing AI Into Nigeria’s School Curriculum

The power of AI is undeniable, and understanding the pros and cons of Artificial intelligence in education is essential for making informed decisions. Some of the advantages of AI include the following;

It provides student with immediate feedback

AI offers students instantaneous and detailed feedback on their work, helping them to see their strengths and weaknesses. Such feedback enhances understanding and learning outcomes and helps teachers to know what to focus on in future lessons.

It can result in more inclusive class sessions
AI has powerful tools that make previously inaccessible material available to students with special needs. Tools that offer text-to- speech, visual recognition, and more can help teachers adapt resources so that all students have an equal learning opportunity.

It fosters critical thinking

The advent and use of AI in classrooms lends itself to discussions regarding critical thinking and ethical considerations. Introducing AI can help them grow and develop as thinkers, learners and problem solvers.

It helps in advanced learning

The introduction of AI into school curriculum can help generate custom learning materials, such as quizzes, flashcards, and even entire lessons tailored to a student`s strengths and weaknesses.

Enhance efficiency

Artificial intelligence provides numerous benefits such as time saving capabilities, reducing errors, increasing efficiency, accuracy, effectiveness and unbiased decision making in teaching and learning process.

Improved motivation and engagement

Integrating AI into school curriculum can create more interactive and engaging learning experiences that can help students focus on their learning.

Conclusion

Integrating AI into Nigeria`s school curriculum is not just an option, but a necessity for preparing the students, fostering innovations, and driving national development preparing them for a real-world experience. Educators must be trained to use AI effectively without sacrificing the essential role of human interactions and mentorship in learning.

Emmanuel Otori is the Chief Executive Officer at Mangrove Technologies Ltd. He has had experience working on a variety of projects with the World Bank, GiZ, Mastercard Foundation, Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) etc. He has impacted over 1000 businesses in creating a sustainable business model.

Education

EduFuture Conference 2025 to Revolutionize Education Via Tech

Published

5 days ago

09/07/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

All is set for the EduFuture Conference 2025 themed Innovating for Equity: Rethinking Education for a Changing World, taking place on Thursday, July 10 in Lagos.

The summit is a premier gathering of Africa’s brightest minds in education, technology, and policy-making. It is designed to revolutionize education through innovation and technology.

For this year’s event, in its second edition, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kwara State on Education, Policy Formulation and Human Capital Development, Adétọlá Ariyíkẹ́ Salau, will deliver the keynote address, outlining actionable strategies for transforming Africa’s education landscape.

The sessions will be moderated by a renowned project manager, analyst, and educator, Ngunan Gertrude Fwaodo, and will be joined by speakers and thought leaders like the Chief Responsibility Officer of The Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation, Tobiloba Ajayi; the Programs Director for Teach for Nigeria, Bosede Ogidan; the founder of Edward Consulting, Bimpe Femi-Oyewo; a child rights advocate, Isaac Success Omoyele; the Executive Director of Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation, Toyin Olanrewaju; the founder of Brace-up The Young, Obasanjo Fajemirokun; the Head of Operations and Programs at Civic Hive, Temidayo Musa; and the Coordinator for African Leadership Academy, Temitope Ifegbesan.

A statement from the organisers said attendees would get an exclusive first look at StratED Futures, a new social enterprise dedicated to driving systemic change in education through policy innovation and impact-led consulting.

Convened by the founder of Dolly Children Foundation, Adedolapo Osuntuyi, it was stated that the conference would be a pivotal moment for education reform in Africa.

With a focus on policy innovation, digital learning, and community-driven solutions, the conference will foster dynamic discussions on key themes including education policy and governance, EdTech and digital learning, social impact and education entrepreneurship, future of work and 21st-century skills, and grassroots innovation and community engagement.

Education

JAMB Fixes University Admission Cut-Off Mark for 2025 at 150

Published

6 days ago

08/07/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The cut-off mark for admission into universities in Nigeria for the 2025/2026 academic session has been set at 150 by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Also, the agency fixed 140 as the minimum score for colleges of nursing sciences, while the score for polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture is 100.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, JAMB said, “The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions).”

It was gathered that this decision was reached today at the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions and the 5th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions and Performance-Merit Award (NATAP-M) at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The event had in attendance several stakeholders in the educational sector in the country, including officials of tertiary institutions.

The entry exams conducted by JAMB this year was without controversies. The agency was called out because of poor outcome as the majority of candidates could not score above 200.

At the meeting today, the Registrar of JAMB, Mr Ishaq Oloyede, announced a candidate from Anambra State, Christian Chinedu Okeke, as the best candidate of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) with 375, followed by Ayuba Simon-Peter John from Gombe State with 374 and Jimoh Abdulmalik Olayinka from Kwara State with 373.

The top 10 candidate for this year are;