Page 164 - FerMUN 2020 - Futurecasters Global Young Visionaries Summit, 8th-10th January 2020

The teachers were then split into 4 groups to discuss the highly ranked challenge and the highly
ranked opportunity. Group 1 and 3 discussed challenge and group 2 and 4 discussed the
opportunity. Each group presented summary of their discussions, highlighting proposed

solutions for the challenges and proposed modalities of leveraging the opportunities.

During the second part of the session a presentation based on a survey which has been
conducted prior to the meeting. The survey was completed by 70 teachers out of a possible
80.

The survey revealed that most teachers who participated in the questionnaire teach

humanities, literature and history and languages, making up for more than half of the survey
respondents. In addition, surveyed teachers reported that they also require digital tools to
deliver their subjects. This implies that digital technologies are needed for all the subjects not

just for STEM or ICT related subjects. The survey shows that the majority of teachers have
intermediate level ICT skills. In terms of access to training facilities, 51% said they have access
to training facilities and 41% said that there is a training centre near them but only 18% is doing
something about increasing their knowledge. On the ability to use digital tools, about 52% said

that they were able to use software for preparing lessons and about 70% said they were able
to use forms and e-quizzes and 60% reported that they were actually using the e-quiz. This shows
high usage of ICTs from the schools, who participated in the survey. On the availability of e-

learning infrastructure, 60% of surveyed teachers stated that there is an e-learning platform in
their school but only 45% said that they are able to use the platforms. The majority of teachers
who have a learning platform in their schools also reported that students are not required to

use the platform. It will be value adding to discuss further and explore underlying reasons why
even where a skill is reported to be available, the actual use of the skills seems to be low, and
where there is facilities the actual use of the facility is low and not mandatory.

Finally, the survey showed that teachers seem to believe that their digital skills are less than

those of their students and yet majority of teachers believe that students do not have the
necessary digital skills to thrive in higher education and the future job markets. This raises
another area for further discussion and research on the relevance of the curriculum to meet

future ICT skills demands, as well as the relevance of the ICT skills that the students posses in
providing them with skills for survival and sustaining their livelihoods.

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