African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Nigeria’s premier Media
& Information Literacy (MIL) organization, in partnership with UNESCO, has concluded
a two-week online training for educators and schools in the UNESCO Associated
Schools Network (ASPnet).
Founded in 1953, the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) is a worldwide
network, bringing together more than 9900 educational institutions across 180
countries. The Network comprises pre-schools, primary, secondary, technical, and
vocational schools, as well as teacher training institutions.
The online pilot training which held between February 28 and March 9 involved over fifty
educators, administrators, and officials of the National Commissions for UNESCO
(NATCOMs) in eight countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Algeria, South Korea, Sri Lanka,
Ecuador, Trinidad & Tobago, and Canada.
The aim of the training was to pilot the adaptation of the Second Edition of the UNESCO
MIL Curriculum: Media & Information Literate Citizens – Think Critically, Click Wisely:
Media & Information Curriculum for Educator & Learners.
The coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, said “the project will not only help to
incorporate MIL in the curriculum of the participating schools but will also empower
teachers to become media and information literate and have the competencies
necessary in integrating MIL at all levels, including other forms of social literacy.”
The facilitators at the training were Dr Suraj Olunifesi, Associate Professor at the Dept.
of Mass communication, University of Lags, Dr. Sharon Omotoso, Associate Professor
and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, and
Dr Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL.
Media & Information literacy experts from around the world also joined the workshop to
share their experiences. They included Dr Ifedolapo Ademosu of Caleb University,
Lagos, Nigeria; Prof. Tomas Duran, National Research Director at CUN University in
Colombia; Wallace Gichunge, Founder and Executive Director, Centre for Media and
Information Literacy – Nairobi, Kenya, and outgoing Africa Region Rep, UNESCO MIL
Alliance; Ramon Guillermo R. Tuazon of the UNESCO Myanmar Office; and Dr. Estrella
Luna Muñoz, Media, Arts and ICT Project Manager and Trainer, Instituto de educação.
Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal.
The project started with a baseline survey on the involvement of schools, especially
ASPnet member institutions in media and information literacy education.
One of the project’s significant outcomes is the development of a Guidebook for
educators which provides a framework for UNESCO-ASPnet member institutions and
educators on how to adapt and implement the new UNESCO Media and Information
Literacy (MIL) Curriculum: Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think Critically, Click
Wisely (Second Edition of the UNESCO Model Media and Information Literacy
Curriculum for Educators and Learners.
The Guidebook is designed to produce MIL literate citizens and to help train educators
from the participating schools as well as other schools around the world.
The Guidebook is structured into Four Parts: Core Content of MIL and Pedagogy,
Curriculum Adaptation Process, Implementation and Documentation of Experience,
Managing Change and Planning for Scale-up (Evaluation and Scaling). There are also
sample learning activities for educators to engage with learners during the Curriculum
adaptation process and implementation stages.
The training availed the educators and learners an opportunity to share their learning
experiences and reflect with co-educators/learners to stimulate and encourage
engagement.
It is expected that the pilot training which will be scaled up by UNESCO to cover other
countries around the world will not only help educators to adapt and introduce the MIL
curriculum in schools, but also contribute to increased education and training on MIL to
tackle fake news, hate speech, and mis/disinformation, and promote media awareness,
inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue through several actions and activities.
