By Zika Bobby
Digital Intelligence Quotient (DQ) Institute, an organisation working in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), has developed a digital initiative aimed at boosting the digital competence of one million young Nigerians and other countries by 2030.
The initiative christened, “DQEveryChild,” is a digital intelligence education programme, which can be “plugged and played” into Nigeria’s education system, for free.
DQEveryChild is a combination of online education tools and real-time assessment, which is free to every child eight and 12 years globally and can be easily incorporated into any national or school curriculum, paving the way for a healthier, safer and more prosperous digital economy for all.
With the scheme, DQ Institute said children in Nigeria would be able to measure their ability and command of digital media, thereby helping to combat their exposure to dangers such as fake news, cyber bullying, online grooming and radicalisation.
Commenting on the digital educational scheme, an official of RAVE et al, a certified-DQ ambassador pioneering the implementation of DQ across Nigeria, Mr. Charity Babatunde, said, “our children are digital natives, born into a world that offers them incredible opportunities but not without its own fair share of dangers.”
According to him, “the eight core digital citizenship skills that DQWorld,net empowers our children with necessity for helping them make informed choices and navigate the digital world safely.”
Founder and Chief Citizenship Officer of DQ World, Dr. Yuhyun Park, said, “Africa is experiencing explosive growth in the use of the internet. With the increased opportunities offered by this connectivity come new risks, especially for our young children, who are the first generation born and raised in a digital world.
“Children need help to navigate this landscape safely. Just like we need a driver’s licence before we can drive on the road, children need digital education before they can start using digital media and technology,” he said.