hardwares and softwares to clients. Presently, it has been observed that:
• There are now well over 400 Computer Science Programmee and 1000 others from faculties like
Engineering and Physical Sciences that require offerings in Computer Science up to 200 or 300 levels, as against about 150 students in a typical Computer Science Department in 1975, In addition, because of the recently implemented National Universities Commission (NUC)
minimum standards, every university student must now take computer science courses at the 100
level at least. - (Though not much has been done to improve facilities in the Computer Centres).
Our Computer Science graduates will continue to emerge from the universities with their heads full of theories but absolutely lacking inpractical experience.
• It is estimated that there are about 6000 secondary schools in Nigeria. If each school were to have TWO computer science teachers to cover courses at the senior classes, one would need
12,000 qualified computer science teachers to man the schools.
• Due to the strong job market for degree holders in Computer Science, fewer graduates continue with postgraduate studies in Computer Science.
• To fill in the gaps requires continuing education which now abounds in every part of the country.
• Because Nigeria operates a free market economy, there is practically no control on the in-flow of computer hardware and software into the market.
• With no regulations or any framework of control or standardization in force, there is now diverse makes of computers most of which have started to end up as heaps of faulty electronic gadgets in the few maintenance workshops available.
4.2.1 Computer Education in Secondary Schools
As a means of advancing information technology applications in the country, pilot activities embarked upon by a number of State governments towards the introduction of informatics to the school curriculum, have now metamophorsed into full implementation in increased number of schools. Most states started with a pilot project of 4, 6 or 8 selected secondary schools within the state and by late 1995 these state governments have extended the facilities to at least one secondary school hi each Local Government Area (LGA). There are presently 589 Local Government Areas in Nigeria and about 6,000 secondary schools. To execute the programme, a number of teachers were trained for a couple of weeks either by a computer company or the Polytechnic, depending on the cost considered reasonable by the government and in the case of the Federal Government Colleges, by the National Teachers Institute (NTI). These teachers had already started to return to implement the introduction of informatics to the educational curriculum of schools.
Furthermore because of the present educational policies at the Federal, State and Local Government levels, the country operates an extensive network of primary schools, secondary schools and higher educational institutions. There are presently 18.7 million students enrolled in over 39.7 thousand institutions of various levels and types. Of the 18.7 million students in schools, less than 2 million have access to formal computer activities except in a very few private primary and secondary schools (about 1% of total number of schools) which are elitist in their set-ups and charge fees ranging from N20,000 to N250,000 per annum compared with an average of N500 per annum charged in public schools.
As part of the 39.7 thousand institutions in the country, there are now 37 universities - 25 Federal and 12 state universities. No private university yet but plans are under way to encourage individuals, corporate bodies, religious institutions etc. to establish private universities.
For the past 5 years, the applications of information technology activities especially those relating to education and training, have been rising significantly amongst youths and other individuals due to a number of factors, namely:
• Since 1978/79 till the present academic year, the existing universities have been able to admit an average of 15% of qualified applicants into the institutions, leaving about 85% qualified
applicants unable to be admitted. This has led to this large number enrolling in private computer schools all over the country for short-time courses ranging from one week to one year.
• There are more than 120 Commercial and Merchant Banks, 256 Mortgage banks and a number of Finance Houses in the country today which lay emphasis on the applications of information trchnology for their day to day operations. Because of the lucrative payment incentives in these
finance houses, most prospective applicants strive to acquire certificates (formal or informal) in
computer training with the hope of being attracted by the Finance Houses.• Because of the liberalisation of the economy since the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986, many hitherto public companies have now been privatised and in
order to maximize production vis-a-vis profits, a number of them have now imbibed computerisation into their operations. Computer literacy has now become aprerequisite for appointment into most cadres of these companies.
• Before 1988, offerings in computer science were envisaged strictly for the tertiary level of education. Only the universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education/Technology were expected to teach courses in computer science and produce graduates in that discipline.
• The resultant effects of the above state of affairs as claimed by Uche, were:
Very few Nigerians had access to tertiary education and only a negligible percentage of this number were admitted into Departments of Computer Science. Thus, only very few
Nigerians were trained in computer technology.
Societal demand for computer literate Nigerians far outstripped the level of production of this cadre of manpower.
In an attempt to solve all the above mentioned problems, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to formulate a Computer Policy which will not only address the need for more awareness but also ensure that sound basis for computer education and utilization is laid.
As the experience in several countries that had introduced computer literacy programmes shows, the most appropriate place to start computer awareness programmes is at the school level and the most appropriate level within the education system is the secondary school level. Therefore the decision in 1988 of Government to start its pilot programme in the Federal Government Colleges was in keeping with what had proved successful for other countries and in line with the recommendations of the committee on National Policy for Computer Education in Nigeria.
The Committee which consisted of eminent scholars and professionals in informatics was mandated, amongst others, to
• advise Government on the types and levels of education that will contain offerings of Computer Education courses;
• determine the curricular contents and procedures best suited to the needs of this country for the various levels of education, including general computer literary at the tertiary levels;
• Consider and advise on the ways and means of ensuring a smooth transition of computer courses between and among the various types and levels of education.
In carrying out its assignment the Committee noted that the major objective of introducing computer literacy and eduction at the secondary school level is to enable them acquire a level of knowledge about computers which would fit them directly into the employment market or enable them to pursue courses in computer science at higher levels. The Committee outlined the following as the general Informatics Policy Objectives for the nation:
• to bring about a Computer Literate Society in Nigeria by the middle of the 90's.
• to enable the present generation of school children at this level appreciate the potentials of the computer and be able to utilise the computer in various aspects of life and later occupation.
The first of these general objectives was interpreted by the Committee to imply that the Government would like to see a policy which would not only cater for those involved in the education enterprise, but also for the general populace. The intent of government appears to centre around the need to ensure that everyone appreciates
• the impact of information and computer technology on today's society;
• the importance of the effective use of information to the individual and the society;
• the techniques by which information is processed, managed, and communicated; and
• the role of computers in information management.
The second general objective directly addresses students who for the first time in the history of the country would benefit from the computer education programme and who will therefore be the
flag-bearers in the nation's determination to join the current world-wide computer revolution. This general statement has thus been expanded to comprise the following educational objectives:
• ability to use and program computers.
• knowledge and ability to use and develop software packages.
• understanding of the structure and operation of the computer.
• knowledge about the history of computers.
• appreciation of the economic, social and psychological impact of the computer.
• the use of the computer in problem-solving.
The above objectives provide a basis for the committees' recommendation of the following main curricular content items for the secondary school level:
• rudimentary knowledge about information systems, information processing techniques and the role of the computer in this regard;
• exposure to the historical overview and the development of modern-day computer and its basic
components;
• knowledge about the uses to which computers are put in everyday life;
• a basic appreciation of how a computer works.
• an understanding of the basic principles of operating a computer,
• hands-on experiences using pre-programmed packages which are relevant to the interests of the students as teaching aids in different subjects.
• an introduction to the concept of different computer languages, and their applications.
• appreciation of problem-solving methods and techniques as they apply to the computer, program design, coding and documentation.
On the need for a smooth transition between types and levels of education, the committee
recommended that although primary schools will use lower-end computers and the secondary schools a more sophisticated one, there is not going to be much difference between the general approach to the teaching of computer lessons at these two levels. Similarly, the curriculum will enable secondary
school students to cope with the university studies in computer science. According to the committee,
the concept of computer education and literacy presents challenges which have not been faced before by the teachers. The Committee noted that for the first time both the teacher and the learner will be at virtually the same level of knowledge (or lack of it!).A training package was therefore recommended by the committee for the teacher.
The objectives of such training are to:
• build confidence in the handling of computer hardware and software.
• encourage the teacher to develop a "sense" of rapport with the computer and appreciate its potential for resolving teaching and learning challenges.
• take account of and familiarise the teachers with the dynamic nature of computer technology, thus
stressing the necessity for continuous upgrading of his knowledge.• manage small computer laboratories and workshops.
• appreciate importance of documentation procedures and softwares maintenance.
The Committee on National Policy for Computer Education in Nigeria was also mandated to define, as clearly as possible, the roles of Federal and State governments and relevant institutions,
particularly the universities, polytechnics, research institutes and some of the parastatals in the attainment of the objectives of Computer Education.
The major merit of the National Policy on Computer Education, therefore, is that it recommends the introduction/incorporation of computer studies at all levels lower than the universities and
Polytechnics. As a matter of fact, the committee recommended a total lifting of restrictions on computer education in a way that computer literacy programmes can begin right from the primary
school. According to the Committee, computers should be introduced at any level provided the necessary facilities and resources exist.