Teaching: Addressing Shocking Revelations

The Kaduna State Government recently conducted a test for its primary school teachers and got a shocking result.  All the teachers, except one, failed a primary four examination. Thereafter, their pupils were also tested and the failure rate was scandalous.

Not too long ago, another State in the North took the same step and recorded a similar result. Although how the problem was addressed was not made public, this kind of routine check clearly commends itself to all states.

In Rivers State, some teachers who were being tested in course of a retraining programme  by a foreign agency  were caught cheating. These revelations  coming from the very foundation of academic programme in Nigeria should worry  government  and all well meaning persons. That teachers, supposed character moulders of the leaders of tomorrow cannot be exemplary or be proficient enough in tackling the task is most scandalous and should serve as a wake up call.

The Tide acknowledges that over the years, teachers may not have received encouraging treatment but the fact that they lacked basic intelligence to pass a primary four examination cannot be condoned. The Kaduna State Government must seek other  jobs to deploy such teachers and give primary education its pride of place by taking on qualified teachers.

It is sad to note that after several years of identifying  the fallen standard of education in Nigeria, very little appears to have been done to remedy the situation. School infrastructure, teaching aids, routine inspection and supervision continue to be lacking at all levels.

As students continue to perform poorly in the West African School  Certificate exams and similar examinations, teachers’  welfare  remain a contentious issue in both government and private schools.

We note also, that the national directive that only holders of the National Certificate of Education (NCE), be accepted as the minimum requirement  for teachers in Nigeria,  is being observed in the breach. It is sad that governments have continued to employ all manner of people to teach when they know next to nothing about teaching nor do they understand the psychology of children.

In many  States, the recruitment of teachers  has not  only been politicised,  but has become patronages for political  jobbers, family members and nominees of deviant groups.

The progress being made by the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, and which has attracted countless awards and commendation needs to be replicated in other states.

For instance, the Rivers State Government recently organised  a rigorous recruitment which  sought to get the best teachers from within and outside the State. Thirteen  thousand teachers are  already due to begin work next month.

The  Governor Chibuike Amaechi led government, in an effort to guarantee prompt payment  of teachers salaries and allowances took over from the local councils, the payment of teachers’ salaries  including arrears of promotions.

The government also gave a new face to primary education by constructing  model  school buildings, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including  information and communication technology gadgets  and laboratory  equipment.

Perhaps, most commendable is the effort to raise the standard of education through interface with international intervention bodies like the UNICEF, UNESCO and the British Council with a view to training and retraining manpower to improve capacity. This, we think should be replicated in other states to arrest the downward slide of standards in parts of the country.

Federal, State and local governments as well as all employers of teachers must of necessity, ensure  periodic  training, and retraining to keep them up to  date with modern teaching trends  and techniques.

Teachers’ welfare deserve priority attention since they train all other professionals required for nation building. Governments and other employers of teachers  must ensure that their  salaries, allowances and other  entitlements were paid as  and when due, while the teaching environment is made conducive.  This will  go a long way in checking the current trend of lack of concentration  and commitment  of teachers  across the country.

The bottom line however,  is that there  must be discipline, standard, ethics and best practice in the teaching profession if its role in nation building is to be  guaranteed. Similarly the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria must be seen to be playing its role in regulating and ensuring standards in the teaching profession.