Guardian

AS the role of teachers keeps changing due to emerging trends and values in the society, the Minister of Education Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’I has disclosed that the concept of Education for All (EFA) would be meaningless if the children cannot have access to quality education through an effective teaching system.

Hence, to improve the quality of teaching and learning at the Basic Education level she charged teachers across the country to embrace professional development, as only competent and dynamic teachers would ultimately produce efficient and effective human resources that are critical for national development

Addressing participants at the flag off ceremony of the 2012 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) re-training workshops for 40,000 primary and junior secondary school teachers nationwide, she explained that the re-training programme under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was conceived to provide for the time-lag between pre-service training received by serving school teachers and the experience acquired during the service.

The Minister said while the nationwide capacity-building workshops was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to improve the quality of teaching and learning at the Basic Education level, she assured that teacher education, will continue to rceive the desired attention in all educational planning.

She said: “ this is because we consider it as “the heart of development”. Countries which have made the greatest progress in reducing poverty in recent decades are those which have combined effective and equitable investment in education with sound economic policies”.

Describing the teachers as a critical factor in any effort aimed at improving the quality of education, she noted that the present administration would continue to support the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) so that it could  continue to produce and upgrade quality teachers through the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of teachers nationwide.

“We will also encourage them (NTI)  to undertake other programmes that are tailored towards teachers’ educational development. We appreciate the efforts of the teachers in national development and w are prepared to reciprocate the gesture through improved welfare and attractive packages. State and local governments will equally be encouraged to embrace the culture of continuing professional development for their teachers by sponsoring them to attend regular workshops and seminars” she said.

The nationwide capacity-building workshops for primary and junior secondary school teachers is expected to focus on four core subjects in junior secondary schools which are: English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Basic Science and Technology.

As part of the Continuing Professional Development of teachers, the training is also geared towards equipping teachers to acquire, develop and refine their knowledge of subject matter and pedagogical skills for effective performance in the classroom.

The Education Minister however expressed hope that participants had been purely selected on merit rather than on any primordial consideration.

“In the same vein, the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike said as part of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the Federal Government was determined to transform and improve the lots of Nigerian teachers through capacity-building programmes.

According to him, participants of the capacity-building workshops under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) projects being organized by the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna must be counted lucky to be considered worthy for participation.

Wike further encouraged the teachers to avail themselves of the opportunity offered to enhance their effectiveness in the classroom.

He said: “Yours is the responsibility of moulding the character of future leaders and any mistake in not properly doing this with full commitment will spell doom for the future of our children and the nation. As teachers, you must be seen to be shining examples to the teeming youths under your care” he added.

In his address, The Director General & Chief Executive, National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, Dr. Aminu Ladan Sharehu reiterated that the MDGs’ annual re-training workshops should serve as complementary to the efforts of state governments in order to achieve the EFA goals by 2015 and consequently vision 20-20-20.

He stated: “The JSS teachers will be drilled on the Four Core Subjects (English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Basic Science and Basic Technology) while the primary school teachers will be trained on Language Communication Skills, Effective Classroom Management Skills, Basic Teaching Methods and Information and Communication Technology using purely participatory and activity-based approaches at one hundred and nine (109) centres nationwide”.

The initial arrangement according to the Director General, was to train 120,000 teachers but the funds available to the institute in 2012 could only train a total of 40,000 teachers of Primary and Junior Secondary Schools nationwide.

The training workshops is expected to cover three major components namely, General capacity building b) Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Faith-based HIV Aids initiative with every state having three centres and one in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Sharehu explained that the workshop training manuals are self-instructional in nature, and the Institute, being an active and strong member of the consortium of Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) anchored by the National Open University, UK, has developed and integrated some TESSA modules into the re-training manuals in order to enrich them with numerous activities that are very vital in assisting to improving the performance of primary and junior secondary school teachers.

These manuals according to him will equally remain as reference and resource materials for teachers even after the workshops.

He also appealed to state Governments to partner more with the National Teachers’ Institute in order to produce the needed quality teachers for the nation through the Continuing Professional Development of teachers (CPD).

Hosted by the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, the Governor endorsed the training stressing that the capacity-building workshops for teachers will go a long way in refreshing the minds of the teachers and expose them to modern and innovative methods of teaching in both primary and junior secondary schools.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Comrade John Akinwa applauded the effort of the Federal Government and the NTI for the training assuring them that all the knowledge gained would be put to use in the classrooms.

Appealing to the Minister to take steps towards ensuring that all outstanding allowance be paid to teachers, he further called on the Lagos state government to commence the full implementation of the 27.5 per cent Teachers Salary Structure by 2013.