Developing a Framework for Integrating Digital Literacy into the Basic Education Curriculum in Kano State

Digital literacy has emerged as a foundational competency for the twenty-first century workforce, and its systematic integration into the Basic Education curriculum requires a professionally designed framework that accounts for the infrastructure realities, cultural contexts, and pedagogical traditions of northern Nigerian schools. This study developed a framework for integrating digital literacy into the Basic Education curriculum in Kano State, North West Nigeria. A professional framework development methodology was applied, drawing on a systematic review of current digital literacy integration models from comparable low-resource contexts in sub-Saharan Africa, structured consultations with 20 curriculum specialists, 15 primary school teachers, and 10 ICT education officers from the Kano State Ministry of Education. The gap analysis confirmed that digital literacy content was absent from 83.0 percent of Kano State primary schools and inconsistently addressed even where ICT resources existed. The developed framework specifies a five-strand digital literacy scope (digital access, digital use, digital safety, digital creation, and digital citizenship), grade-band progression from Primary 1 through Primary 6, subject integration pathways, teacher professional development requirements, and minimum ICT infrastructure standards. Expert review by eight curriculum and ICT education specialists confirmed the framework's practical feasibility and contextual appropriateness. The study recommends the framework be piloted in 30 schools across three Kano LGAs, with formal evaluation at the end of the first year, before state-level curriculum integration through the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board.

Keywords: digital literacy, Basic Education curriculum, Kano State, curriculum integration framework, ICT education