Technology company HP has revealed the results of its first education-focused survey in Africa, which shed light on teachers’ skill sets and how learning experiences for pupils can be improved in South Africa and Nigeria.
The quantitative research was conducted in April and May with 802 teachers in South Africa and Nigeria surveyed. The sample group in both countries comprised of public primary and high school teachers, as well as private school teachers in Nigeria.
Since the focus was not merely on those teaching technology, the study findings reflect educators who teach a wide range of subjects, including languages, mathematics and other disciplines.
The study identified 10 skills as crucial to future-proofing learning. The majority of teachers surveyed – seven in 10 – agreed that creative, innovative, critical, and entrepreneurial thinking, as well as digital literacy, are very important.
Crucially, one in three teachers said they could benefit from additional training to improve their skills in the above-mentioned areas, and that the development would have an enormous impact on their teaching.
Access to adequate resources, basic materials and technology were flagged by teachers as a negative effect on the teaching outcomes.
Eighty-two percent of teachers surveyed noted access to instructional materials and supplies as a problem, and a further 89% said access to adequate technological resources was an issue – a crucial aspect of teaching that has been overlooked for over a decade but has been brought to the fore by the pandemic.
Still, an overwhelming majority – 95% – believed that technology can have a positive benefit in the teaching environment and can raise pupils’ engagement in lessons.
The Covid-19 pandemic thrust the importance of technology in classrooms into the spotlight, bringing new opportunities and pressures to teachers around the world. The shift has not been without difficulties, with 45% of teachers ranking ICT skills as a challenging facet of the role – outpacing other elements like active teaching, homework marking and lesson planning.
At the same time, 85% of survey respondents confirmed new skills in this area would have the greatest influence on their ability to teach.
Beyond technology, at least 50% of teachers report having too many pupils in their classrooms, which impeded the quality of learning, and 71% say they required more time to assist individual pupils.
Luckily, despite these challenges, at least 95% of teachers were optimistic about their jobs and roles in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.
“Teachers perform a pivotal function in our society, not only in shaping the minds of future leaders and preparing students to take on the jobs of the future, but also inspiring and enabling better learning outcomes,” said Brad Pulford, managing director of HP Africa.
Pulford said that HP’s Innovation and Digital Education Academy (HP IDEA) programme played a critical role in bridging the skills gap and it formed part of HP’s goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people by 2030.
He said that HP’s immersive teacher development programme was designed to enable teachers to develop and access new learning modalities in select schools in South Africa, Nigeria, and 14 other markets across Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
“Through the HP IDEA programme, our aim is to ensure that educators are equipped with the latest tools and best practices in teaching and learning, and ensure they too are ‘future-fit’. Understanding the educational landscape and where we can provide support and expertise is key to its success,” Pulford said.
Education