Monrovia – This year, on the observance of World Literacy Day, the Liberia–Ghana Missions is taking a deeper reflection o
n the importance and possibilities of Liberia’s educational system getting on par with the growing wave of technology in education around the world.
The world over is today celebrating the day under the theme “Literacy in a digital world”
“Alfalit L-GM as well as all the key players in the literacy sector of our Liberia needs to give attention to innovation in this day and age of advancement in technology.
“We can no longer afford to continue teaching in the old way” Director Giddings said in his keynote address to the Ministry of Education.
L-GM’s Director is optimistic that it is possible for Liberia as a county to develop a platform or device that would take literacy programs from an analog approach where teachers and students do not need to be in the same place before learning takes place to enable student takes those devices with them.
Twenty-two years later, the entire world is in the middle of the greatest technological revolution of the 21st century.
This digital or technological age in which we now live is one that we cannot avoid or ignore in our work as literacy practitioners.
We can either adapt to it, or we can stand where we have been for decades, and be left behind.
As a full-time contributor to the eradication of illiteracy in our society I am aware that nearly all of us in the non-former education sector of our nation are accustomed to teaching literacy skills by analog means.
By this I mean, a literacy facilitator must be physically present in a classroom to use pictures, sounds and words to help his or her learners read, write or use numbers.
In this emerging digital and technological world of which Liberia is an integral part, we cannot afford to be stock in the past.
It is imperative now, more than ever before that we begin to rethink our method of literacy education, by adapting, assimilating and applying new ideas and resources to enhance and improve our literacy service delivery efforts.
This will require first and foremost that every stakeholder in the field of literacy in Liberia become technologically literate, which means, that each of us must develop the ability and skills needed to function adequately and proficiently in a digital environment.
The digital world is a world of speed.
Think about how fast we connect to each other and with other parts of the world today by taking advantage of the digital environments such as: emails, instant messaging, Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, Instagram, Twitter, Linked-In, etc.
By effectively utilizing the resources of the digital world, we can make better decisions faster and conveniently than ever before.
The digital world makes it possible to hold very important meetings through video conferencing or conference calls make critical business or institutional as well as personal decisions, while saving valuable time and most importantly a lot of money and human energy.
The use of a simple application known as CamScan now makes it possible to have all of the hard copies of my critical documents available to my office in Miami Florida within minutes, instead of shipping by DHL, or FedEx, thereby saving my entity thousands of dollars, and a lot of time.
As we celebrate world Literacy Day, here are some of the key questions that confront us within the context of our Theme, “Literacy In a Digital World”:
Is it possible for Liberia to have an effective and efficient digital literacy program that is accessible to all?
What is the infrastructure, facilities, and funding needed to change from an analog to a digital literacy education System?
Is it possible to present literacy lessons by means of handheld devices with which students can learn with little or no help from a facilitator.
I believe that Liberia can move into an inspiring digital literacy program through a broad-based inclusive partnership considering the involvement of corporate organizations, technology companies, religious institutions, etc.
GSM companies including Orange’, LoneStar Communication and others that are willing and are motivated by their social responsibility clauses could join hands with government and specialized groups like Alfalit and others to launch a nationwide campaign of a digital literacy project to fight illiteracy in all Liberian communities.
The digital world Rev. Giddings said is real. It can stimulate development or it can create crises.
As people increase and improve their literacy abilities, the better they will be able to live and function within the digital world.
Our world is now a digital world. This means literacy is even more urgent than before because our world has become smaller due to the intense level of interaction between people.
As people become more literate, the better they will be able to function in a digital world. With the importance of literacy, we can now add “digital literacy” to improve our lives, develop our country, and enhance our interaction around the world. This will make us a happier and a more fulfilled people.
As we head toward elections that will produce a new President and a new government, may I suggest that we place before every Presidential candidate one simple question: What will you do to lead Liberia in becoming 100 % literate if elected as President.
Those of you in the media, please help us press for an answer for this question. I and all Liberians deserve voting for candidate who has clear roadmap to transforming this nation.