PROMOTING ICT AND DIGITAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA USING AFFORDABLE CLEAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all including the promotion of lifelong learning. Hence the goal seeks to promote development of the human person through education. This development is best driven by technology through the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to digital education. The challenges posed by COVID-19 have further made virtual education which is dependent on the acquisition of ICT and digital skills very imperative. Incidentally, technology based education is dependent on the availability of energy which cannot be guaranteed in a developing country context such as Nigeria. Hence, this study is aimed at examining the energy supply situation in selected public secondary schools in Lagos, Nigeria and their coping strategies for ICT and digital education. The study adopted the qualitative approach with data obtained from observation and interviews. The study found that the schools relied mostly on conventional electricity supply from the national grid which was generally epileptic and unreliable. The schools had standby electricity generators to support mains supply and this is a major source of pollution and carbon emissions. The study thus recommended the use of renewable clean energy systems such as solar electricity through photovoltaic cells to power the equipment used for ICT and digital education