FG committed to redeeming image of education – Minister

Adamu Adamu, Nigeria’s minister of education says the Federal Government is committed to redeeming the battered image of education at all levels.

The minister spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the commencement of the 2022 nationwide capacity-building workshops for Nigerian teachers. It was organised by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, in collaboration with SDGs, UBEC, NCC and others.

Represented by the minister of state for education, Goodluck Nanah-Opiah, the minister also said that the Federal Government would continue to ensure that teachers get the best.

“This informed the implementation of the new salary structure for teachers, elongated retirement and service age, as well as increased emoluments. The Federal Government is also committed to the provision of quality education at all levels,” Adamu said.

The minister also said that the Federal Government would continue to promote digital literacy and sustain capacity building for all teachers in the country.

Adamu pledged to sustain support to NTI for it to continue to champion teacher education, training and retraining. He described teaching as a noble profession, while teachers were very crucial in the process of nation-building.

Adamu lauded NTI for organising the event, saying, “the institute had successfully trained many teachers in different domains.”

The minister also promised to sustain support to NTI to consolidate its achievements and bolster its performance.

The director and chief executive, NTI, Musa Maitafsir said that there was no better time when Nigerian teachers were in need of capacity building, training and retraining than now.

Maitafsir said “this is because there is no time in history when teaching and learning in schools and colleges are greatly disrupted all over the world like today.

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“The advent of COVID-19 pandemic, banditry, agitation and industrial disputes in our country have forced schools and colleges to close down. This led to learning loss in schools and gaps in students’ learning achievement.”

The director said that the situation, coupled with the availability and access to technological gadgets by pupils have changed the art of teaching and learning.

“It has become blended in nature where remote, online and distance learning have become a new normal and unavoidable in most schools and colleges in Nigeria.

“Consequently, the need for Nigerian teachers to be equipped with the techniques and strategies of handling the art of teaching and learning in the new normal; situation becomes imperative and compulsory for the institutions saddled with the responsibility of training and retraining teachers in Nigeria like NTI,” Maitafsir added.

He commended the Federal Government for according priority to the teaching profession and teacher education from 2015 to date.

Paulinus Okwelle, the executive secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), said “no nation rises above the level of its teachers.

“We will continue to effectively collaborate with NTI to improve quality assurance and capacities of teachers.”

Julius Unbare, chairman, House of Representatives committee on basic education, represented by Benjamin Mzondu, pledged that NASS will continue to provide resources for capacity building for teachers.

Unbare said, “the workshop was a right step in the right direction,” saying that public schools have some of the best teachers.

“Capacity building of teachers is more important than building infrastructure,” he said, urging that the exercise be replicated across the country.