1. HOW TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA AND A
HUGE YOUTH POPULATION HAS INFLUENCED
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY OF
EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
By
Madayese John Oluwashola
Student, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
j.madayese@student.oauife.edu.ng
+234(0)8181576559

2. Education has been identified as a vital tool for any form of development, be it
economic, social or political. It is a factor that determines the state of prosperity
sustenance of welfare and security of the people. The yearnings, needs, aspirations, as
well as cultural heritage and environment of any society determine to a large extent, the
kind of knowledge and skills to be acquired. Therefore, the kind of education
OPERATED should bring about skill development as this will enable individuals to live
and contribute to the overall development of the society in which they live.
In this present day, it is required that the kind of education provided should be
holistic and wholesome, so as to foster balanced individual and national developments.
Many factors have influenced improvements in the quality of education in Nigeria, among
them are technology, social media and a huge youth population. These factors have
positively influenced the quality of education in Nigeria, however there are some
disadvantages also attached to them which are discussed below.
Firstly, the role of technology and learning is rapidly becoming one of the most
important and widely discussed issues in contemporary education policy. Most experts in
the field of education agreed that, when properly used technology, especially ICT hold
great promise to improve teaching and learning in addition to shaping workforce
opportunities. Computers for example and other technological instruments have aided
instructional process and also facilitated student’s learning. Examples of such
technological instruments are ICT, Internet Gateway, Nigeria’s Telecommunication,
Virtual Learning, Cyber Education, among others. Many obstacles exist that tend to limit

3. the positive influence of this technologies, such as limited access to internet, cost of setup,
lack of relevant software and skills and work infrastructure. There is need for governments
at all levels, NGOs and philanthropists to invest in the development of technology in the
educational sector by providing adequate human and material resources.
Secondly, social media have greatly aided the widespread of information a lot in the
country. It has given students the platform to have a lot of forums, groups, pages, rooms,
etc., to discuss matters beyond the classroom and also to solve class problems together
even when they are apart. Examples of these social media include Facebook, Instagram,
BBM, Whatsapp and Twitter. These media have made transfer of educational culture
possible without stress. However, this social media have been widely abused by the users
and this act has affected the gains of it. For example, young users of social media share
more of polluting and immoral resources among themselves more than they share
educational and useful resources. A purposeful orientation and advice should be given to
students so as to aid a positive influence of social media on the improvement of quality of
education in Nigeria.
Lastly, in the field of population studies, it has long been recognized that education
is strongly related to a broad range of demographic behaviors. The spread of education
throughout a population has been shown to be of central importance for the long-term
demographic transition from high to low levels of fertility. However, the existence of a
measure of illiteracy in Nigeria there has been a huge increase in youth population and
this has engineered a lot of of educational programs by the government to ensure that

4. youths get educated. Notwithstanding this situation will not persist for long once Nigerian
society had achieved “mass education”, that is to say, once a large majority of youths were
sent to school.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that the quality of education has been greatly
influenced by technology, social media and a huge youth population. However, to
promote the positive influence of these factors, there must be a proper and adequate
planning for and financing of education.