By Joseph Erunke
ABUJA-THE federal government, Tuesday, said it has mapped out strategies not only to enhance teaching profession but also make it attractive to those it referred to as “best brains.”

Malam Adamu Adamu

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, speaking in Abuja,at the World Teachers’ Day Ministerial Press Briefing, said the government would achieve its dream of making teaching a attractive for people including the best brains with the launch of the National Teacher Education Policy.

The minister, who at the occasion, disclosed that Anthony Anwukah, his colleague and Minister of State for Education, was undergoing medical treatment in far away United States of America and needed prayers from Nigerians especially stakeholders in the educational sector, said the present federal administration’s dream was to raise the country’s bar in education to an enviable height.

“The Federal Ministry of Education will, therefore, enhance the status of teaching profession and make it attractive to the best brains. This will be achieved with the launch of the National Teacher Education Policy, “Adamu insisted.

While showering accolades to the nation’s teachers, Adamu said teachers deserved every encouragement to carry out their professional responsibilities.

” Teachers to a great extent, determine the effectiveness of educational policies as they are the implementers of the curriculum.

“The fact remains that no learning can take place if teaching is carried out in an atmosphere of threat and chaos. Teaching in a peaceful environment will surely enhance the ability of teachers to deliver quality education.

“Empowering teachers means to equip them with the ability to deliver quality education, “he added.

He said the federal government in its efforts towards empowering teachers, has over the years, taken strategic steps to develop an institutional framework for teacher education

This, according to him, was the establishment of the National Teachers’ Institute, NTI, Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, National Commission for Colleges of Education, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Institutes and Faculties of Education of Universities and Colleges of Education,to ensure the production of qualified teachers as well as their continuous development and capacity to meet the global best practices and competiveness. ”

” The federal government has, therefore,instituted the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award to express appreciation for the immense contributions to nation-building, “he also said.

Presently, he said the award” only takes care of the public basic and secondary schools in the states to encourage and reward good behavior and contributions to nation-building.”

The Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, as part of its mandate, he explained, has persistently pursued the accreditation, monitoring and supervision of courses and programmes of teacher education institutions in Nigeria to ascertain the standard of courses and programmes in such institutions. Over ten institutions were visited during this exercise between October 2016 and July 2017.

“Moreover, in fulfillment of the desire of government to conduct Professional Qualifying Examinations, PQE, TRCN has concluded arrangements to hold the next level of TQE on Saturday, 14th October, 2017 in all the states of the federation and FCT,” he disclosed.

The minister also disclosed that the National Universities Commission, NUC, under his administration, has conducted accreditation of a total of 227 programmes in universities in 2016 out of which 145 programmes earned full accreditation status and 7 earned denied accreditation status.

“NUC also developed eight Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard, BMAS, documents for Gender and Transformative Leadership, Software Engineering, Agricultural Extension, Forensic Science, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Geriatrics and Gerontology and Autism, “he stressed.

At the occasion, which held at the ministry’s conference hall, the minister asked staff and those present to rise up for a prayer for the speedy recovery of the Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwuka

He said:“Please permit me to ask us to say a minute prayer for the Minister of State who is away in the U.S to receive medical treatment for an illness, “he said, adding that Anwukah needed prayers from Nigerians especially stakeholders in the education sector.