NiGERIAN TEACHERS GET REWARD ON EARTH
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/Mobil
Joint Venture, has continued to put smiles on the
faces of teachers, especially science teachers in
Akwa Ibom Ibom State.
The latest effort to improve the quality of
education was the four-day capacity training
workshop for primary school teachers in Ikot
Ekpene Senatorial district of the state, and
facilitated by the state branch of the Science
Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN).
The workshop which held at the new Federal
Polytechnic, Ukana, was the third in the series of
such training for science-oriented primary school
teachers, even though that was the first edition in
the senatorial district, as similar workshops had
already been held in Eket and Uyo senatorial
districts.
The Manager, Public and Governmental Affairs of
Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mrs. Regina Udobong,
said at the official opening of the training that it
was designed for about 400 teachers/
administrators to learn simple and new methods
of teaching, reading and writing.
"Sponsorship of the workshop was initiated and
endorsed as part of the Joint Venture's strategy to
deepen and strengthen teaching methodologies in
the education sector, especially at the primary
school level which is very critical in the education
curriculum," she said. "The workshop is aimed at
improving the standard of basic science and
technology, mathematics, English studies and civic
education among teachers in primary school, as
well as at stimulating the creative thinking ability
of the pupils.
"We believe that if proper teaching methods are
addressed at the primary school level, positive
learning strategies will evolve and be passed to
the ultimate beneficiaries – the pupils. In time,
this will go a long way in moulding the pupils'
attitude towards hard work and discipline and
ultimately discourage delinquency and truancy,
among other vices."
Akwa Ibom state chairman of STAN, Mr. Udeme
Udofia, said the workshop which was aimed at
updating the capacity of teachers in public
primary schools in the state to ensure that quality
teaching and learning take place at that level of
education, was also of great importance to
teachers as it would aid in the laying of solid
foundation for the pupils to meet the challenges at
various educational levels as they progress in life.
"It is our belief that the selected participants at
this workshop shall, at the end, acquire more
skills to effectively and efficiently present their
lessons to the pupils," he noted. He thanked Mobil
Producing Nigeria – operator of NNPC/MPN Joint
Venture for their sustained interest in sponsoring
many educational programmes in Akwa Ibom
State. "It is our hope that you shall continue in this
regard so that the state, which is your host
community, can benefit from your presence," he
noted.
Akwa Ibom state commissioner for education,
Prof. Atim Antai, said that without teachers as
change agents, there can be no transformational
education since education the world over, is an
imperative for economic, political and social
enhancement.
"The teacher is thus the brain-box of the society
going by the teacher's role as an educationist, a
counsellor, mentor, guardian, consultant and an
adviser," she observed. "As an educationist, for
instance, the teacher remains the source of new
ideas and initiatives to the society. It is within the
mandate of the teaching profession that teachers
should be concerned with the promotion of
desirable attitudes, ethics, integrity and best
practices in education.
The workshop, she said, is aimed at, "exposing
our teachers to gain more knowledge in their
spheres of endeavours, as well as, improving the
standard of teaching of basic science and
technology, mathematics, English Studies and civic
education."
She noted that with the introduction of free and
compulsory education that is non-discriminatory
in Akwa Ibom State, education was indeed serving
a useful purpose of bringing about good
governance and popular acceptance.
"I'm optimistic that this workshop will bring to
bear considerable change in the pattern of
teacher behaviour, with a view to fast-tracking the
realization of the aims and objectives of the free
and compulsory education in Akwa Ibom State."
She then charged the teachers to work hard to
earn the respect of their pupils through
knowledge of their subject matter, competence
and dedication to duty. "This is important now that
every learner even in primary schools is quick to
detect incompetence and quackery among
teachers."
While welcoming participants to the Federal
Polytechnic, Ukana, which was the venue of the
workshop, the rector of the institution, Prof.
Balama Obomanu, who was represented by the
registrar of the institution, Mr. Chrysantus Asuka,
expressed belief that the workshop would include
some topics regarding capacity-building strategies
as lack of that would present the most severe
constraint to the impetus of overall development
in the education sector in Nigeria.
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