The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently raised concern on the learning crisis that holds sway in Nigeria-a problem mainly blamed on the quality/number of teachers that dot classrooms in schools across the country, FELIX KHANOBA reports.
Despite billions of naira being pumped into the nation’s basic education sector year in, year out, learning outcomes have continued to nosedive in Nigeria.
It is now common to come across several primary and secondary schools’ leavers finding it difficult to either read or write simple word or have the ability to solve minor mathematical question.
Speaking during a recent media dialogue organised by UNICEF in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in Kano, UNICEF education expert, Manar Ahmed, described the situation as a major learning crisis that needs urgent intervention.
Manar, who spoke virtually on the topic ‘Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Nigeria,’ said about 70 percent of children below 10 years in school are not adequately learning, adding that such ugly development requires a change in the approach of training and retraining teachers.
According to her findings drawn from existing data, the northern part of Nigeria accounts for the highest share of the problem due to the high number of unqualified teachers in the area.
While expressing the need for more robust teachers development programme to bridge the identified gaps in basic education delivery, Manar said training of teachers must go beyond theories and also capture job training which creates opportunity for the teachers to get feedback and action plan on how to improve on the teaching skills.
Her words : “This idea on teacher professional development is more crucial than teacher training , it involves creating an enabling environment, supportive tools, community of practice that will support the teachers, peer support and supervising assessment of teachers performance.”
On the need to shore up teachers education in the country, Manar posited also hat teaching at the basic education level must be tailored in a way that it would involve teaching and learning practices.
“You do not only just train the teachers but ensure that the teachers on return to their schools after theoretic training have an enabling environment beginning with Head teachers , school support services to provide quality coaching and mentoring as well as supportive supervision.
“Circle support is most important whereby the teachers feel they are supported by the head teacher who should provide supervisory feedback as well as school support services, as the teachers help the children to learn this will have a positive impact on learning outcomes at the basic level,” she said.
According to the UNICEF education expert, such measures as well as recruitment of qualified teachers would go a long way to improve learning outcomes in the country.
Manar’s position appeared corroborated with the views expressed by the Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye.
According to Ajiboye, who spoke as Guest Lecturer at the 24th Annual Seminar of the Nigerian Academy of Education in Abuja a few days ago, the problem of poor learning outcomes is not far from the issue of having unqualified and less achievers in the classroom.
“In a society, where their best brains do not want to be teachers, their children would be taught be idiots, ” Ajiboye, whose agency oversees registration of qualified teachers in Nigeria, said.
According to him, the problem of unqualified teachers which is resulting in poor learning outcomes has assumed a national dimension to the extent that about 27percent of teachers in schools in South-West of Nigeria are unqualified.
The AUTHORITY reports that the South-West region is one of the most educationally developed zones in the country while zones in the North remain in the bottom rung of the education ladder.
Experts, however, believe that putting the nation’s teaching profession in the desired position and providing the enabling environment for quality teaching will be a game changer in ensuring Nigeria overcome its learning poverty.
