INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION (CEBAR) SEEKS NCCE PARTNERSHIP FOR IMPROVE QUALITY OF TEACHERS

The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE, Professor Paulinus Chijioke Ekwelle has Commended the President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration for putting so many policies in place that is currently helping in the development of Teacher Education in the country. Okwelle stated this on the 21st of Jaunary, 2022 when he received in audience an International Consultancy and Training Organization (CEBAR) based in Abuja that is into equipping teachers and working with schools to improve the quality of teacher preparation. The Executive Director, CEBAR, Ms Carol Barlow in her speech, said the essence of the meeting is to seek partnership with NCCE that will assist them to provide training to ‘would be’ teachers (Final year NCE students) in Nigeria and this she said can only be possible through effective collaboration with NCCE in identifying the potential teachers for the programme. She added that part of the reason for the meeting is to fashion out modalities to promote turnout of quality teachers that will help at the basic and post basic level of education in Nigeria Providing clarification on the essence of the training, CEBAR Business Development Manager, Oluwaseyi Anifowose, said the training which will last for six weeks with its pilot phase in Abuja, will afford CEBAR the opportunity to teach the students what to expect when they get to work environment. He noted that NCCE have produced Minimum Standards that is used to prepare the students through Colleges of Education but, that what CEBAR will be giving is how to apply the content taught in schools (Colleges of Educations) He further explained that at the end of the training, CEBAR will post the student to its client (Schools) for another three-month internship after which many will be absorbed by way of employment. In his response, the Executive Secretary, NCCE, commended the laudable initiative of CEBAR, saying NCCE and his office is always open to receive and collaborate with every meaningful proposal that will help NCCE to qualitatively regulate all NCE Awarding Institutions. He said, with this kind of collective collaboration, the huge problems confronting teacher education in Nigeria will be overcome. The Executive Secretary, However, requested for the modalities of the partnership and those to benefit, noted that since the pilot phase is in Abuja, it will be easy to interact and interface with the committee on the project.