Here in this post, we are going to discuss in detail the role of teacher education in Nigeria. We hope you find this article informative and educating.
Education is by no doubt one of the most powerful tools for the development of the economy of the nation. It is the driving wheel for change, a catalyst for growth, equipping learners with relevant knowledge and expertise for personal and national advancement.
👉 Relocate to Canada Today!
Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to CanadaRead Also: 7 Functions of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria
This is why teachers are invaluable to the country, a noble profession charged with educating the world future leaders.
However, in Nigeria, teachers are not accorded the respect and prestige due to them. The impression of “a teacher’s reward is in heaven”, has caused most properly educated teachers, harassment, molestation, intimidation and abuse as well as constant ignorance by the government and poor remuneration for educational services.
The result is that our schools are filled with unqualified teachers and untrained teachers, hence dampening our education system. It is one thing to be trained in a subject area, but it is a whole different thing entirely to be trained to teach that subject.
Properly trained teachers lie around doing nothing, acquiring skills, whereas the educational system continues to flow with a quack, untrained, physically and psychological unfit persons. It is therefore important to stress the role of teacher education and teachers effort towards the development of the nation.
Read Also: 6 Functions of the Nigeria Union of Teachers
Concept of Teacher Education
Teacher education is the process of training individuals, who are responsible for impacting knowledge, skills and expertise, in order to ensure better productivity, efficiency and excellence in their work, in line with producing well-rounded individuals and fostering development in the nation.
The National objectives of teacher education as stated in the National Policy on Education (2004) in Nigeria are as follows:
1. To produce highly motivated conscientious and efficient classroom teacher for all levels of our educational system To encourage further the spirit of enquiry and creativity in teachers
2. To help teachers to fit into the social life of the community and the society at large and enhance their commitment to national goals;
3. To provide teachers with the intellectual and professional background adequate for their assignment and make them adaptable to changing situations
4. To enhance teachers commitment to the teaching profession
It is on these grounds that the stages of teacher education are formed and they are:
1. Training
This is the period of time in which the teachers go through an organized and structured programme of learning, both practical and theoretical.
👉 Relocate to Canada Today!
Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to CanadaRead Also: The Roles of Teachers in Nigeria National Development
2. Induction
This is the period where the individuals get awarded with education certifications that are recognized by the government and institutions.
Continuous Professional Development Programme: Education is a life-long process and one can only gain more if one keeps trying to know more.
Teachers continue to improve themselves through research and other higher educational certification to keep abreast with the constant changes in the modern world.
Role of Teacher Education in Nigeria
The fact remains that the quality and devotion of teachers have a great impact on the educational system, which in turn has an impact on the socio-economic and political development of the country.
A good teacher education programme should be geared at constant improvement in curricula in line with the social, economic and political environment of the society and provide solutions to societal problems. Therefore, the role of teacher education in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. They include:
1. Nation Building or National Development
There’s a popular saying that goes thus: “Train a child, Train a nation.” To whom does the responsibility of individual upbringing lie?
Teachers! Of course! Now, imagine if the responsibility of training individuals are in the hands of untrained professionals, who may know the subject matter very well but do not have the necessary skills to pass it on to future generations, there would be no effective education, a dearth in knowledge and hence no innovative growth and national development.
This reinforces the need for teacher education in our society. The government of Nigeria is working to improve the quality of teacher education for the education system through professional preparation of persons for the assignment of teaching. Teacher education is a pivotal factor in nation building.
Read Also: 10 Qualities of a Good Teacher to Enhance Effecting Teaching-Learning Conditions
2. Development across all sectors
It is of great importance to note that without appropriate development of the educational system, all other sectors of the economy would remain stagnant.
Through teacher education, younger generations are equipped with knowledge on how to enhance the economy. Education is the flag bearer of research and development, which cuts across all sectors.
Hence, a better education leads to better productivity in the oil and gas sector, aviation sector, business sector, political sector, agricultural sector, the technological sector, manufacturing sector, social services sector, health sector and industrial sector. This fosters improved standard of living and development to the nation.
3. Manpower development
Education is the greatest supplier of the manpower of the economy such as doctors, engineers, accountants, scientists and teachers to the various sectors of the national economy.
It produces a skilled workforce to the economy and that is why teacher education and teachers are regarded as the mother of all professional institutions and professions that exist.
Through teacher education, the educational system is able to generate a strong innovative workforce that brings about development that cuts across all sectors like technological advancements, artificial intelligence in industries, electronic trading in business by various e-commerce platforms, advancements in food processing and packaging, and introduction of new vaccines for diseases, improved transport systems that improve living standards
4. Curriculum Development
We are well acquainted with the saying that “Our system of education produces half-baked graduates that are unemployable.”
Teacher Education equips teachers with vast knowledge in the subject field based on an approved curriculum, timetable and extra-curricular activities designed to bring about the development of a well-rounded and firm grounded student, who is able to bring about positive change in his world.
5. Skill Acquisition and Vocational training
Effective teacher education is also geared at equipping teachers with entrepreneurial skills in crafts and local handwork like fashion design, bead making, tie and dye making, woodwork, sculpture, visual arts, catering, decorations, blacksmith, metal works, music, entertainment etc., which are inculcated into the curriculum and passed down to the students in learning.
Through this, unemployment and social vices are mitigated as students are kept busy making themselves entrepreneurs rather than indulging in criminal activities, thus removing inhibitors to national development.
6. Morality Enforcement
In lieu of mitigating criminal acts, teacher education also helps in translating policy into action and principles into practice in their interactions with their students. Therefore through appropriate teaching of good values, the moral destiny of every Nigerian citizen is secured.
Read Also: Role of Teachers in Sexuality Education in Nigeria
Conclusion
For teacher education to play its role in Nigeria, the government and educational administrators must ensure that there is adequate funding for the programme as well as sufficient supply of educational facilities.
Regulations must be put in place for the admission of right entrants as teacher education facilitators and as teachers of students.
The teachers should be well prepared with appropriate curricula and should be effectively remunerated. Also, there should be continuous training of teachers so that they can be on top of their game.
