Hold state govts responsible for low quality teachers – NTI

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Director-General of the Nigeria Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Dr. Aminu Ladan Sherahu has absolved teachers, who are products of the institution, of any blame regarding poor quality of teachers; rather the various state governments should be blamed for not embracing a federal government institution like NTI.

Sherahu who addressed a press conference yesterday in Kaduna preparation of the bi-annual teachers summit and convocation ceremony of the institution, said most state governments who are rejecting NTI products are only playing politics, because they have established their state colleges of education and preferred to employ their products, rather than that of the NTI.

“Its unfortunate that in most third world countries when somebody is competing with you, he would resort to condemning you rather than showing his expertise so that people would patronise him, but they would not do that, rather they would attack and criticize you.”

Sherahu, said NTI have the same entry criteria with other institution, and all students admitted into the institutions must have that entry requirement before they are admitted.

He further said that their facilitators are about the best in the country that are produced by the Nigerian universities and other institutions.

“We do not import facilitators from Ghana, Cote’d Voire, and they are all Nigeria products that have been produced and hatched by the Nigerian system, so if the system is wrong somewhere and we should go back and correct the system and not blame NTI.”

The DG further stressed that NTI has the highest criteria for teachers training than any teachers training institution in the country and that the modules and teaching materials are about the best in the country, because they are of international standard.

Sharahu urged stakeholders and the private sector to support NTI to continue to improve on teaching, education standards in the country.

However, speaking on the forthcoming NTI summit he said the institute has designed to create a platform for proper understanding of open and distance education, thus the theme:” Open and distance education a catalyst for production of quality teachers and transformation of Nigeria.”