The President of Nigerian Academy of Education, Professor Otonti Nduka has described the role of teachers as indispensable in successful educational development.              Prof. Nduka stated this at a refresher workshop for the domestication of the nine year Basic Education Curriculum organized by Rivers State Ministry of Education for teaching and administrative supervisory staff of the state UBE programme in Port Harcourt recently.

Prof. Nduka, who was the chairman of occasion noted that teachers must not only know their subjects and how to teach them but also pose the professional and high ethnical standards.

“He must exhibit familiarity with the extant education policy, the curricula together with the examination requirements, maintenance  of high educational standard and be committed not only to the ethics of the profession but also continued professional development”, he emphasised.

According to him, teachers must be role models for integrity, high moral, commendable work habits and social interaction.

The educationist raised alarm over the deterioration of ethical and moral standards in the educational system at all levels in the country which according to him led to what he described as fallen educational gold standard.

He argued that the situation brought about examination malpractices, certificate forgery, sorting and all forms of unwholesome conducts that compromise high standard.

Prof. Nduka, however, commended Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, for bringing about phenomenal improvement in education system in the state and hoped that the workshop was part of the strategies lined up by the state government to revamp the educational sector in the state.

Isaac Nwankwo