May 27, 2025
In a world where education continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Nigeria’s low-income communities remain burdened by limited access to quality teaching and learning resources. Teachers often work under challenging conditions—grappling with power outages, poor internet connectivity, insufficient funding, and low digital literacy. Despite these obstacles, hope persists—and digital tools hold transformative potential.
To bridge this divide, SEED Care & Support Foundation, in partnership with Schoolinka and with funding from the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), launched a pioneering initiative to equip teachers in low-fee private schools across Lagos State with essential digital literacy skills.
Since 2016, SEED has worked to strengthen the affordable non-state education sector. Schoolinka, a fast-growing EdTech company based in Lagos, shares this mission—helping educators upskill and unlock new professional opportunities. Together, we created a program designed to ignite digital transformation in some of the most underserved classrooms.
From One Day of Training to 450 Teachers Transformed
On February 22, 2025, 69 teachers from 46 schools came together for a full-day, hands-on digital literacy training. Representing diverse communities, these teachers were eager to learn, connect, and reimagine what teaching and learning could look like.
The training covered three key areas:
Mindset Shift: Alice Ogunmefun kicked things off by helping teachers build a positive and open attitude toward technology adoption.
Digital Safety: Qudus Ibrahim Olawale guided teachers through essential practices in online safety—ensuring both students and teachers could use digital tools securely.
Practical Tools: Fatimah Adeoye introduced user-friendly digital platforms like Google, Canva, WhatsApp, and Meta AI, allowing teachers to immediately apply what they learned through small-group exercises.
What happened next was extraordinary. These 69 educators returned to their schools and trained an additional 381 colleagues (305 women and 76 men)—spreading knowledge, inspiration, and skills. This ripple effect brought the total number of trained teachers to 450, showcasing the power of peer learning and the passion of teachers who are determined to create better outcomes for their students.
Real Change, Real Stories
The impact is already being felt. Here’s one story that captures the heart of this transformation:
My proprietress, who always preferred handwritten lesson notes, finally agreed to digital lesson plans after I used Meta AI on WhatsApp to generate mine. I showed her how it worked during our school’s retraining, and to my surprise, she announced that starting next term, everyone must submit lesson notes as soft copies via WPS Office.
I am deeply grateful to SEED, Schoolinka, and GCE for this life-changing opportunity. You have truly empowered us to do more.
The Bigger Picture: Digital Tools, Real Learning
Across participating schools, mindsets are shifting. Teachers who once feared that technology might replace them now recognize it as a powerful ally—a tool that enhances their work and makes learning more engaging and inclusive. In both remote and urban areas, educators are now using low-cost/no-cost resources suggested by AI tools to bring lessons to life, regardless of material constraints.
This partnership goes beyond training—it’s about reimagining classrooms where students actively engage, collaborate, and think critically. It’s about giving every child, regardless of background, access to quality education.
We’ve seen what’s possible. Now we want to learn from others.
What About You? Let’s Collaborate for Greater Impact
Have you used digital tools to improve learning outcomes in low-income or under-resourced communities?
Do you have a digital solution or EdTech product you’d love to test with our school network—tools that can make teaching and learning more effective, inclusive, and inspiring?
We’d love to hear from you. Let’s build a stronger ecosystem where tools meet real needs, and teachers are empowered to lead transformation from the classroom up.
Comment below to share your story or pitch a tool you’d like to pilot with us. Together, we can close the digital divide and ensure that every child, in every classroom, gets the education they deserve.
I am one of the educators who had privilege to benefit from SCHOOLINKA’s seminar and I must say it was a wonderful experience and this has helped in exposing myself and my colleagues to different tools we can use to educate learner in a way they will be interested in learning in a low cost way. Thanks to SEED Care and Support Foundation, SCHOOLINKA and GCE.