Groups to Train 12,000 Public School Teachers

Oluchi Chibuzor

A non-governmental organisation, Teach For Nigeria (TFN) and ProFutoro are set to train 12,000 public school teachers in Lagos, Ogun and Kaduna States.

The partnership is part of effort to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector and equip teachers with technological tools to deliver quality education beyond classrooms.

Speaking during a Webinar, the Chief Executive Officer, TFN, Folawe Omikunle, said as the world continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative for the education sector to find creative ways to ensure continuous learning.

According to her, “I am confident that this initiative will, in many ways, contribute to the development of the Nigerian education sector and ensure that all children, regardless of their background, receive quality education for better life outcomes in the future.

“This innovative training programme is aimed at positioning these 12,000 teachers as classroom leaders, enhancing both their pedagogical and digital skills through a very practical and structured curriculum that provides them with teaching tools and peer-to-peer support. These leaders will impact positively on thousands of students in under-served schools improving their possibilities of a successful future.”

She added: “To maximize and achieve these results, the training will be delivered through TFN’s fellows who will cascade the formation delivering quality training to public primary school teachers across the different TFN states of operation.

“As we continue to observe social distancing rules and restrictions placed on movement due to COVID-19, the training will be delivered via relevant digital platforms. This will ensure that the training is not further delayed and that teachers can acquire relevant skills to ensure continuous learning and contribute to mitigate the effects on education of the closure of schools due to COVID-19,” Omikunle maintained.

Also, the General Manager of ProFutoro, Magdalena Brier, acknowledged that schools across the world have been closed, but education cannot wait, as the future of millions of children depends on it.

“We are happy to put our expertise to good use in this joint programme. We must all work together to prevent the already existing educational gap from widening due to a new digital gap,” she stated.

Meanwhile, TFN has partnered the Ogun State government to deliver lessons through electronic platforms like TV and radio. All students, regardless of their backgrounds are able to access these platforms to learn.

This comes as part of efforts to ensure continuous learning, despite federal and state government directives to temporarily shut down schools in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Registrar, Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Josiah Ajiboye has maintained that public school teachers who are not ICT inclined stand the risk of losing their jobs as the world goes digital.
The professor urged teachers across board to upgrade their skills and renew their licenses with TRCN to remain relevant in their career.

“The work place is transformed and digitized, any teacher who cannot use simple gadgets and tools I mean those I refer as born-before-computer, are disadvantaged already. Thus, we must embrace the new normal and reality,” he said.