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K-12 SCHOOLS · DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP TRACK

K-12 Social Media
& Fact-Checking

Equipping Africa’s secondary school students to navigate the information ecosystem critically, verify what they see online, and become responsible digital citizens.

🔍 Professional Fact-Checking
📱 Social Media Literacy
🛡️ Digital Safety
🌍 African Case Studies
📰 OSINT Methods
LEVELSJSS2 to SSS3 (Ages 12–18)
DURATION1 term (JSS); 2 terms (SSS)
AWARDDFA Digital Citizenship Certificate
DELIVERYIn-school + Online + Fact-Check Labs
LANGUAGESEnglish, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, French
PARTNERSAfrica Check, UNESCO, Google

THE CRISIS

Nigerians who have shared misinformation unknowingly61%
Health misinformation incidents in Africa (2020–24)3,400+
Election-related deepfakes circulated in 2023 elections800+
Secondary students who can identify a deepfake8%
Schools with any media literacy curriculum<5%
61%
of Nigerians have unknowingly shared misinformation online — with teenagers the most vulnerable group
3,400+
health misinformation incidents documented across Africa between 2020 and 2024, causing measurable public harm
<5%
of African secondary schools currently have any structured media literacy or fact-checking curriculum

The Crisis

Nigeria and Africa face an escalating information crisis. From WhatsApp-spread vaccine myths that cost lives during COVID-19, to AI-generated election deepfakes that inflamed ethnic tensions, to herbal remedy misinformation that kills patients — the consequences of a population unable to evaluate what it reads online are severe and measurable.

The antidote is not censorship — it is education. The DFA K-12 Social Media & Fact-Checking programme builds the critical thinking skills students need to navigate the modern information environment, in partnership with Africa’s leading fact-checking organisations and aligned to the revised Nigerian K-12 curriculum framework.

Curriculum Tracks

The programme spans two age-appropriate tracks: a foundation track at JSS2–3 introducing digital safety and basic verification, and a critical citizenship track at SSS1–3 covering professional fact-checking methods, platform dynamics, and civic responsibility.

JSS2–JSS3 · AGES 12–15 · FOUNDATION TRACK
Digital Safety & Awareness
Building basic critical awareness and safe online habits
01
How the Internet Spreads Information
Understanding news, social media, messaging apps, and why content goes viral. Introduction to the difference between fact, opinion, and rumour.
CORE
02
Spotting Fake News & Manipulated Images
What deepfakes, edited images, and out-of-context photos look like. Hands-on use of reverse image search (Google, TinEye) and video verification tools.
NEW 2025
03
Being Safe & Kind Online
Cyberbullying, online harassment, and how to respond. Privacy settings, not sharing personal information, and what to do if something makes you uncomfortable online.
CORE
SSS1–SSS3 · AGES 15–18 · ADVANCED TRACK
Critical Digital Citizenship
Professional fact-checking, platform literacy, and responsible civic participation
01
How Social Media Platforms Work
Algorithms, engagement metrics, and why you see what you see. Understanding filter bubbles, echo chambers, and how platforms are designed to capture and hold your attention.
NEW 2025
02
Misinformation, Disinformation & Malinformation
The three types of harmful information, how they spread, and why they are dangerous. In-depth African case studies: health misinformation (vaccine myths, disease outbreaks), election manipulation, and ethnic or religious disinformation campaigns.
NEW 2025
03
Professional Fact-Checking Methods
The step-by-step verification process used by professional journalists and fact-checkers. Hands-on use of Africa Check, Google Fact Check, Snopes, Wayback Machine, Bellingcat OSINT techniques, and geolocation of viral images.
NEW 2025
04
Source Evaluation & Media Literacy
SIFT method (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace the original claim). Evaluating credibility of websites, social accounts, and news organisations. Understanding sponsored content, native advertising, and media ownership bias.
CORE
05
Digital Identity, Privacy & Online Reputation
Managing your personal digital footprint: what you post today follows you for years. Data privacy, phishing, strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and what Nigerian and African data protection laws say about your rights.
CORE
06
Responsible Digital Citizenship & Advocacy
Ethical content creation, platform reporting tools, upstander behaviour, and understanding your legal responsibilities under Nigerian cyber laws. Students create a fact-checking public awareness campaign for their school community.
NEW 2025

How It Is Delivered

DFA’s media literacy programme uses a blend of structured classroom learning, interactive online labs, extracurricular clubs, and a national competition to embed fact-checking skills deeply and practically.

🏫
Classroom Curriculum Integration
DFA provides fully developed lesson plans, interactive exercises, real case studies, and teacher guides that integrate directly into Social Studies, Computer Studies, and Civic Education timetables at JSS3 to SSS2 level.
💻
DFA Media Literacy Portal
Students access an interactive online platform with video modules, fact-checking exercises, quizzes, and a live feed of debunked misinformation stories. Available offline via mobile app for areas with limited connectivity.
🔍
Fact-Checking Labs
Structured classroom sessions where students work in teams to investigate viral stories circulating in Nigeria, applying professional verification tools and presenting their findings to classmates — replicating real newsroom workflows.
📰
Student Fact-Checking Club
Extracurricular club where students publish verified fact-checks of stories circulating in their school and community through a school newsletter, social media page, or WhatsApp broadcast channel.
👩‍🏫
Teacher CPD & Certification
Social Studies, Computer Studies, and Civic Education teachers complete DFA’s Media Literacy Educator certification: a 3-day intensive training that qualifies them to deliver the full curriculum with confidence.
🏆
National Fact-Check Challenge
Annual competition where student teams compete to identify and debunk the most impactful piece of misinformation circulating in their region. Winning teams receive recognition, prizes, and are published on the DFA Media Literacy Hub.

What Students Achieve

By completing the DFA Social Media & Fact-Checking programme, students will be able to:

Identify misinformation, disinformation, and manipulated media using professional-grade verification tools
Apply the SIFT method to evaluate the credibility of any online source in under two minutes
Explain how social media algorithms create filter bubbles and amplify harmful content
Conduct a basic OSINT investigation to verify the origin of a viral image or video
Manage a safe, positive, and privacy-protected digital identity across all platforms
Create and share digital content ethically and responsibly, understanding legal implications
Lead a peer or community fact-checking awareness initiative
Support family members in recognising and not sharing harmful content

Who This Serves

This programme serves secondary school students aged 12–18 across Nigeria and Africa, with particular urgency in communities most exposed to health, election, and social misinformation. It is equally designed for Social Studies, Civic Education, and Computer Studies teachers who need a structured, ready-to-deliver media literacy curriculum, school owners and principals seeking to address digital safety proactively, and government agencies and NGOs working to counter misinformation at a population level.

“My students used to share anything they saw on WhatsApp without a second thought. After this programme they were fact-checking news stories in class, debunking myths in the school WhatsApp group, and explaining to their parents why something was false. It completely changed how they relate to information.”
— Mrs. Chiamaka O., Social Studies Teacher — Enugu, Nigeria

Institutional Partners

DFA’s fact-checking curriculum is co-developed with Africa’s leading journalism, media literacy, and technology partners to ensure content is accurate, locally relevant, and pedagogically rigorous.

Africa Check
Dubawa (Premium Times Centre)
International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN)
Federal Ministry of Education (Nigeria)
UNESCO Media Literacy Programme
Google News Initiative
Meta Journalism Project
NITDA — Digital Literacy Initiative
Civic Hive Nigeria
Centre for Democracy & Development (CDD)

Bring Media Literacy
to Your School

Partner with DFA to equip your students with the critical thinking skills to navigate the information age — and protect your community from the real costs of misinformation.