Prof. Ismail Junaidu (pictured) is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria's Educational Research Development Council

Prof. Ismail Junaidu (pictured) is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria’s Educational Research Development Council

In response to the challenges of data management, arising from huge storage, recording, sorting and classification of instructional materials, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) is working to deploy an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solution to handle data for enhanced book assessment.

A statement by NERDC Director, Book Development Centre (BDC) Dr. Eleri Nnanna Otu Eleri, quoted the Executive Secretary of the NERDC, Professor Ismail Junaidu to have revealed this during a workshop on development of software to ease book Assessment which held in Nasarawa State recently in December 2022.

Prof. Junaidu said that the ICT initiative is a part of the Council’s efforts to standardize instructional and learning resources used in Nigerian schools. He remarked that one of the core mandates of NERDC is to ensure that instructional materials meant for Nigerian schools meet the minimum curriculum requirements and other set criteria. According to him, the Council in recent past had committed a lot of resources towards the upgrading of assessment instruments and processes.

He said: “NERDC recently developed a new assessment manual titled: ‘Manual for Assessment of Instructional Materials and Quality Assurance in Nigeria’. Development of Book Assessment Information Management System would be another milestone achievement for the Council. The main objective of this workshop is to develop a software solution that would transform existing manual book assessment process into a computer-based assessment process. This is in line with the National ICT Policy objective aimed at promoting Universal access to high quality and efficient services using ICT”.

The ES reiterated the commitment of the Council to building a robust structure geared towards strengthening the quality assurance process of book/instructional resources assessment procedure. He expressed satisfaction with the caliber of resource persons invited to the workshop and charged them to put in their best to ensure the successful completion of the task at hand.

Recall that one of the core mandates of NERDC, as enshrined in Act No. 53 of 1988, is that of book development and quality assurance of books and other instructional materials. The mandate is aimed at promoting readership at the national level as well as local authorship. The duty of executing this mandate in the Council rests with Book Development Centre (BDC), under the headship of Dr. Eleri Nnanna Otu as the Centre Director. This mandate empowers NERDC, and by extension BDC, to serve as a centre of excellence for the exchange of information on books and other related materials. The task of effectively managing information is a daunting one that requires the relevant infrastructure, tools and manpower.

Editorial Chief, Nigerian Bureau

Kings UBA is a Nigerian journalist and writer. I have reported for major local and international news organisations. I write satire. In 2017, I started contributing stories primarily to Discover Africa News Network. I can be reached on editorkingsuba@gmail.com. I currently manage Discover Africa News social media handles