UK-Nig Teacher Training Project targets achieving MDGs in education

By Emmanuel Edukugho
TRAINERS from Havering College of Further and Higher Education, UK, through its Education Partnership in Africa project in collaboration with Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Otto/Ijanikin, Lagos, held a 3-day workshop for selected secondary school teachers and lecturers in tertiary institutions which addressed skills gaps in innovative teaching in Nigeria to meet the Global Millennium Development Goals in education.

The project is known as UK-Nigeria Teacher Training (UNITET), the first of its kind in the country.

About 25 pilot students/trainees completed the workshop training programme under the supervision of seasoned Havering College lecturers. Thereafter, trainees will undergo three weeks of teaching practice at their schools of employment and assessed by the UK trainers before award of certificate by Havering College to successful trainees.

The training is aimed at developing competence in planning, delivery, assessing learners’ need and managing the learning environment. Above all, the programme will transform the trainees to thorough professionals equipped with modern innovative method of teaching and technology of delivery.

The two institutions involved in the project are reputed to have wealth of experiences spanning over 50 years.

AOCOED in Nigeria being in the business of training teachers since 1950, while Havering College, UK has been also in the business of training teachers since 1947.

The Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) of th British Council sponsoredall the activities while both AOCOED and Havering College provided counterpart funding for the pilot project. But the two institutions are to continue the partnership after the pilot scheme.

According to a UK official there is need to develop new professional and innovative teaching techniques and standard to equip teachers for the future.

“This project has adopted a philosophy of training to retrain teachers,” adding, “the project aims at re-motivating teachers, retrain teachers to become first-rated and world class teachers that can deliver successfully in any setting.

It was noted that the reality in Nigeria today is that most of the young learners in schools are over adventurous and cannot be bogged down with academic courses only.

The teachers that must succeed with this army of learners must be innovative and equipped both in the methodology and technique of delivery and area of speciality.

With the successful completion of the course, the 25 pilot students now turned to trainers will remain resource persons to partner with the project so as to train as many other teachers in Lagos State and the country at large.

“What we are doing today provides an opportunity for us as an institution to present to the stakeholders, the silent revolution we are pioneering as teacher training institution in Nigeria and to formally unveil the project which has begun with the just concluded three days train-the-trainer workshop,” said the Provost, AOCOED.

Registrar of the college, Barrister Bola Disu, expressed gratitude to all who were committed to the project in financial and material terms both electronic and study materials to the college.

The workshop has no doubt positioned AOCOED as a centre of innovative training not only in the Southwest but in Nigeria.

Some of the trainers had these words to say about the training programme.
Dr. (Mrs) Kikelomo Adeyeni: “We’ve benefited, as we now know how to overcome the problem of over crowded classrooms, promote active learning to ensure that all are involved knowing that some can do most, others can do more while others can do little.”

Mrs. Oyeyenmi Sunya of LASU: “We learned about new methods of teaching, the process of rebranding the educational system. We can be able to pass a message that the learning process is very interesting. This is a new generation that will push the educational system forward”.

Mr. S. Bolaji: “This training programme consolidates the idea that no student is dull. If this training is greatly absorbed, the learning capacity will be adequately enhanced.”

Others said students should be taught to become processors of knowledge and must not fear failure. And that they’ve already become new teachers, a unique experience for all participants.