Teachers, Education Officers Challenged to be Innovative, Strategic Leaders

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

Principals of Junior Secondary Schools, head teachers and education officers from Gombe and Taraba States have been called upon to be seasoned, innovative and strategic leaders.

This is in order to meet the global demand for formal education and technological advancement particularly of the students.

The call was made by the Ag. Director General/Chief Executive, National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Dr. Shofoyeke David Adebiyi, at the opening ceremony of a five-day capacity building workshop on “Effective School Management in the 21st Century.”

It was organised by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in collaboration with NIEPA, for head teachers of primary schools and Junior Secondary Schools’ principals in Gombe and Taraba States held at the Community Education Resource Center (CERC) Gombe yesterday.

The NIEPA acting director general, who was represented by Head, Training and Research, Dr. Oyeromi Samson, stated that NIEPA was established in 1992 by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNESCO/IIEP Paris, as a sub-regional Staff College.

The main operational mandate is developing a critical mass education sector planners and managers for effective and efficient planning and management of the educational system.

It will be done through capacity building, continuous training, consulting, action research of empowering education sector operators through the provision of specialised and relevant skills in planning administration and management of education covering Nigeria and West Africa sub-region at large.

He further said that the workshop learning contents are effective school Management in 21st century, roles of principals in 21st century, school culture,  Instructional leadership in schools, safe and violence free school, climate change in schools, team building and collaborative problem solving, records and record management among others.

Samson also stated that the workshop was taking place in three other geopolitical zones in the North, which comprises Gombe and Taraba, Zamfara and Kano as well as Kogi and Nasarawa states.

While declaring the workshop opened, the Secretary of Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ms. Yawoji Ahmed Bala, appreciated the State Governor, Mr. Inuwa Yahaya, for giving priority to education sector and for ensuring peaceful coexistence in the state which has tremendously improved the learning performances of both learners and students in the state.

Bala was represented by the Director Planning and Research, Mr. Jonathan John Khul.

She also appreciated the collaborative efforts of UBEC and NIEPA towards ensuring good educational system in the state.

The Secretary then called on the participants to make good use of the workshop in order to be good managers to showcase quality leadership in effective school management.

The representative of the resource persons, Dr. Ope Oyekan, said that the trainings are unique in the sense that they drive the process of the workshop through facilitation and experiential sharing among the participants.

She then stressed the need for all the participants to be involved in the workshop sessions throughout the days slated for the program as contained in a statement by Judith Abishai Kutus.