POTOKRI Calls On Education Leaders, Manager To Be Lifelong Learners

 

Visiting Professor and Scholar, University of Johannesburg, South Africa and Barry University Miami, USA, Prof. Onoriode Potokri beckoned on all education leaders and managers to be lifelong learners by unlearning, learning, and relearning, and should commit more resources to teacher development policies that promote education digitalisation and their effective implementation.

The professor of Education Policy Studies and Alumni of Lagos State University, Prof. Potokri made this known while delivering his keynote address titled *"Leading and Managing Education Digitalisation in the 21st Century"* at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (NAEAP), LASU Branch, Lagos Chapter, in collaboration with Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA), Nairobi, Kenya.

The 4-day conference with the theme *“ICT, Educational Management and Planning in the Digital Age in Africa”* was held on Tuesday, 4th to Friday 7th June 2024 at the Main Hall, PUEA, Nairobi, Kenya.

Prof. Potokri stated that the 21st century is characterised by surgery in digital innovation which are fundamentally redesigning the way information is sought, accessed, processed, and distributed, and digital technologies provide unprecedented learning experiences, personalised instruction, and enhanced collaboration. It also poses challenges that have to do with digital equity, data privacy, and continuous professional development.

Speaking further, Prof. Potokri described ways which education leaders and managers could lead the digitalisation of education as Value-based leadership which is the inculcation of integrity, trust, listening and respect for the followers, balanced processing, pedagogical and technological training support, agreement and reward, share culture and networking, and policy intervention from the government to institutionalised digital technologies.

He urged education leaders and managers who wish to blend in digital leadership to pose an innovatively 21st century mindset, aimed at the accomplishment of the SDG⁴, quality education and leveraging technology as an enabler, and with the global imperative to attain quality education by 2030 (UN 2015), ensuring the quality of teachers is as important as ensuring digital leadership in institutions of learning because both are complementary and are indeed the catalyst to the attainment of quality education.

In his words...."I advocate for a rapid digitalisation of education in our educational institutions, for in it lies the key to the attainment of quality education – the passage to poverty alleviation/eradication and other sustainable goals as outlined for accomplishment by the United Nations in 2030", Prof. Potokri ended his keynote address.

The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, expressed her gratitude to the Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA) for hosting this significant event in collaboration with the Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (NAEAP), LASU Branch. She stated that the collaboration demonstrates our shared vision for advancing educational frontiers through innovative and strategic use of ICT.

The professor of Physiology ably represented at the conference by the Coordinator, NAEAP LASU Branch, Prof. M. O. B. Mohammed, FNAEAP, while delivering her address, noted that the Lagos State University is particularly excited about the potential for a formal collaboration with the Presbyterian University of East Africa. We believe that such a partnership would foster greater academic exchange, collaborative research, and the development of joint programs that leverage the strengths of both institutions, and this collaboration would not only benefit our universities but also contribute to the broader educational and socio-economic development of our regions.

Professor Olatunji-Bello averred that effective policies are the bedrock upon which sustainable digital transformation is built. They ensure that technology serves as a catalyst for inclusive growth, equitable access to education and the overall well-being of our societies, and the integration of ICT in educational management and administration holds the promise of more efficient, transparent, and responsive educational systems.

Earlier at the conference, the Vice Chancellor, PUEA, Prof. Wangari Mwai, in her opening remarks, recognised the presence of scholars and stakeholders from diverse institutions who have made the conference a success and described the conference as an enabler to everyone which would broaden and deepen our thoughts.  

She stated that educationists, both instructors and researchers, need to leverage on digital revolution so as to reap the fruits of e-learning, thereby making maximum use of the available digital technology with its revolution to obtain desired effect or results that meet the needs of the present educator and learner without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The high point of the event was the presentation of gifts to the Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, and other prominent academic scholars, and certificates to the Participants.

The 4-day conference featured contributions from 17 prestigious universities across the globe, representing a rich tapestry of perspectives and expertise which include Lagos State University, Nigeria; Presbyterian University of East Africa, Kenya; Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya; University of Nairobi, Kenya; Alayande University, Oyo State, Nigeria; University of Ilesha, Osun State, Nigeria; University of Free State, South Africa; Lead City University, Nigeria; Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria; University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone amongst other reputable universities.