Teacher Education in the Digital Era Through Technological Transformation Pedagogy in Nigeria

Abstract

Teacher education systems worldwide face pressure to integrate digital technologies meaningfully into pre-service preparation. In Nigeria, demographic expansion, infrastructural constraints, and curricular rigidity make this imperative both urgent and complex. This analysis examines Nigeria's teacher education landscape in the digital era, synthesizing policy documents, empirical studies (2020–2025), and institutional audits across 24 teacher education institutions. Grounded in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and Sen's Capability Approach, the study positions digital competence as an enabling capability for pedagogical agency rather than a technocentric end. Findings reveal persistent gaps between national digital-education policies and ground-level practice: inadequate infrastructure (only 28% of institutions report reliable electricity), low ICT self-efficacy among teacher educators (68% use technology solely for administrative tasks), fragmented curriculum integration, and weak public–private partnerships. Emergent initiatives mobile-based micro-credentialing, virtual teaching-practicum platforms, and community driven open educational resource repositories demonstrate scalable potential. The paper advances a four-pillar framework for systems-oriented digital re-professionalization: curriculum infusion, continuous professional learning ecosystems, adaptive infrastructure investment, and robust monitoring-evaluation mechanisms, aligned with SDG 4.c and African Union Agenda 2063.