Managing Human-Centred Values with 5ir Technologies: The Role of Educational Leaders in Senior Secondary Schools, Nigeria

Abstract

This theoretical study investigates the strategic role of educational leaders in managing the integration of 5IR technologies within Nigeria’s senior secondary schools, with an attention on sustaining humanistic principles in tech-driven learning environments. The Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) is a transformative age marked by the convergence of modern technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) with key human-centred values such as empathy, ethics, creativity, and cooperation. Using Transformational Leadership Theory, Humanistic Learning Theory, Ethical Leadership Theory, and the Techno-Ethical Paradigm of 5IR, this study provides a theoretical analysis of the implications, opportunities, and ethical challenges. These arise from the incorporation of human agency and intelligent machines in education. The study examines international trends, Nigeria's educational system, and the current leadership gap in fostering inclusive, emotionally intelligent, and morally upright teaching approaches. Some primary proposals include developing a national digital ethics policy, providing professional development to ethical tech leaders, and reforming the curriculum to integrate digital literacy with core human values. The study concludes that visionary and ethically trained educational leadership is very important in directing Nigerian education through a value-aligned integration of 5IR technologies.