Supporting teacher education and the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) is our priority -Dr. Yusuf

By Egena Sunday Ode

Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu said the Federal Ministry of Education will continue to support teacher education and the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna in line with policies that will help bring teacher development and its sustainability in the country.
The Minister made the disclosure while declaring open the First Annual National Conference 2023 organised NTI at the Institute’s headquarters in Kaduna.
Dr. Tanko, who was represented by the Special Assistant (Projects) to the Minister of State for Education, Rufai Sani Adamu, said the federal government is focused on restoring quality of education, particularly teacher education and continuous development of teachers.
He therefore commended the effort of NTI under Prof. Musa Garba Maitafsir for organising the conference.
Speaking earlier, the Director and Chief Executive of the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, Prof. Musa Garba Maitafsir said the Institute in the last two years has been transformed to a full-fledged academic Institute.
‘’Our focus now is on e-facilitation as we have now embarked on the training of the Institute’s staff to be e-facilitators,’’ he said.
Prof. Maitafsir said his administration is determined to change the narrative of what is now obtained in the sector.
While clarifying on the issue of the proposed Internship Programme by the Institute, Prof. Maitafsir disclosed that the Internship document, which was well written, with concept note, has an entrepreneurship component, aimed to make the intern self-reliant.
The NTI Director and Chief Executive, who prayed for the success of the programme, said the Institute has gone far on the Internship Programme, which is to be in collaboration with the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
On the sustainability of the internship, Prof. Musa Garba Maitafsir said a structure was already developed on how it would be sustained.
Meanwhile, he tasked stakeholders on teacher motivation, so as to drive the profession and support the teachers in Nigeria.
The keynote speaker at the conference, Prof. Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye , Registrar and Chief Executive of Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, while speaking on the internship programme, said government should approve and sponsor the internship programme the same way it does with Law School and Medical students in the country.
The representative of the Acting Executive Secretary NUC, Prof. Muhammad Yahya, having described the conference as a significant event, said education is a dynamic and evolving field with the role of teachers sounding prominently in the process.
‘’In an era of rapid technological advancement and globalization, educators must be equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to prepare students for the demands of this century,’’ he said.
Prof. Yahya said the approach to education must be adaptive, innovative and forward-thinking.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the conference, observed the disparities in training, resource allocation and application of effective teaching strategies by teachers in Nigeria and need to leverage modern technology in educational delivery at all levels as well as need for teacher internship programme, so as to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application by providing interns with a carefully mentored experience.