Education
Institute Trains 100 Teachers In Kogi
The National Teachers Institute (NTI), recently commenced training for 100 government secondary schools teachers in Kogi State under the aegis of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) project.
According to a source, the five-day workshop was organised by the institute in collaboration with the Kogi State Government.
The Director-General of the institute, Prof. Garba Azare, at the opening ceremony of the workshop said that the training would enhance participant’s knowledge in Language Communication Skills.
Azare added that the training would also improve the teachers in Basic Classroom Teaching Methods and Techniques, Effective Management Skills, Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He noted that the participants would be trained in Academic Leadership, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SENDs), HIV/AIDS Awareness and Digital Literacy.
Azare, who was represented by Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, the Principal Accountant of the institute, said that Nigerian teachers deserve all the encouragement to enable them performe optimally on the job.
He said that the teachers should also be encouraged to undergo regular retraining programmes that would equip them with the current best practices around the globe, as they deserve improved remuneration.
According to him, sponsoring teachers to participate in capacity building programmes such as this, will enhance their cutting edge as professional classroom teachers.
The director-general, however, appealed to relevant stakeholders to ensure timely release of funds meant for the purpose of organising retraining programmes.
Azare also urged State Governors to help the institute by partnering with NTI at affordable costs to train teachers.
The State’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, congratulated the participants for being part of the first 100 teachers that would be trained in Kogi State as master trainers.
Osikoya urged them to ensure they utilise the golden opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge on the job, stressing the need for the teachers to add professional value to themselves.
According to her, Kogi State has about 24, 000 teachers and only 100 are being trained in the first phase.
“There is the need for teachers to be skilled, competent, trained and motivated’’.
The commissioner thanked the Federal Government for the support, and commended the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for making education a topmost priority among the five thematic areas of his administration.
A professor of Highway Engineering at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Emmanuel Osilemme Ekwulo, has identified poor designs, inadequate materials, insufficient testing, and lack of accountability as major obstacles to the success of highway construction projects in the country.
Ekwulo made this remark in Port Harcourt last Wednesday during the 128th inaugural lecture series of the university, where he presented a lecture titled “Removing Roadblocks: Rebuilding a Foundation for Reliable Highway Pavement Infrastructure.”
The university don lamented the consistent premature failures of road construction projects nationwide, despite huge investments by the government at all levels, attributing the problem to neglected basics and systemic principles in the industry.
According to him, rebuilding the foundation technically, institutionally, and ethically is crucial to building strong and lasting pavements.
Ekwulo emphasized the need for political will, professional integrity, and commitment to engineering excellence to overcome the challenges.
“The metaphoric roadblocks are those challenges causing premature failures,” Ekwulo said, adding that identifying and addressing these roadblocks is key to rebuilding the nation’s highways.
He recommended that institutions involved in road design and construction adopt a mechanistic-empirical design approach, and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the Nigerian Imperial and Mechanistic Pavement Design System (NEMPADS) approach.
Ekwulo also advocated for mandatory traffic load analysis, strengthened university-industry collaboration, and funding for applied pavement research.
Corruption, he noted, is a major challenge in the profession, saying severe punitive measures are needed to curb shabby practices leading to premature road failures.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, described Ekwulo’s lecture as interesting and intriguing, highlighting the importance of implementing solutions to Nigeria’s highway challenges.
The Vice Chancellor also described Ekwulo’s proposals as practical and applicable to government and industry stakeholders.
He said the university is committed to research aligned with national development goals, referencing its NDV-12 responsive consortium production framework.
Zeb-Obipi noted that Ekwulo’s recommendations are timely and solution-driven, and will contribute to addressing Nigeria’s highway challenges.
Akujobi Amadi
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