By Amaka Abayomi

The special appeal of the educational sector as a major driver of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, came to the fore recently at this year’s edition of the thought leadership series, Sustainable Conversations, which identified education and partnership with key segments of the society as part of the solution-oriented approach to the myriad of identified development challenges.

Organised by Thistle Praxis Consulting in partnership with telecommunications operator, Etisalat, and themed ‘SDGs: Fast-tracking Targets Through Technology and Education’, the stage was set for insightful discussions on the nation’s potentials and enabling capacities for the achievement of the UN-backed 17-goal SDGs.

Speaking at the Conversations, the Ag Regional Coordinator, Africa, UN Millennium Campaign/SDGs Action Campaign, Hillary Ogbonna, said the paradigm shift became necessary because of the inadequacies and ultimate failure of the MDGs to provide answers to certain critical development needs.

His words “This identification and inclusion of education as a driver of the SDGs has been described as a bedrock for the achievement of the agenda. But there is the overarching challenge of an acceptable quality of education, lack of which constitutes a major threat to the achievement of the goals.”

Speaking on the role of education in achieving the agenda, the MD/CEO, Galaxy Backbone, Yusuf Kazaure, called for the prioritization of ICT-led education.

He said “Moving from analogue to digital is a current day reality. We are part of the global family and without ICT, it will be impossible to achieve the SDGs because education, which is necessary to make it happen, is driven by ICT today.

“If we pretend in Nigeria that we will not move in that direction, we will continue to be consumers of everything that is produced elsewhere. To achieve these goals, we need people who are not only literate, but also functional members of the society as a result of quality education.”

Also, Prof. Labode Popoola of the Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV), University of Ibadan, asserted that only quality result-oriented education can impact on delivery of the goals.

“Education is key to achieving the SDGs. There is a place for education and technology, and this is why the varsity system must play the role expected of them by challenging and making themselves relevant in the achievement of the SDGs. We need to take up more seriously the issue of educational governance. We have to rethink how the educational and research systems can work.”

Also speaking, Etisalat Nigeria’s Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Ibrahim Dikko, said the idea behind education providing a basic foundation for development readily resonates with the company as it has shown through various intervention efforts in the education sector.

He said “Education opens doors in the minds of the citizenry and that determines the rate and extent to which the nation can evolve. We realized that in our varsities were the core engineering courses, but no telecommunications engineering, and there is no way we can build capacity if that is not addressed.