Henry Uche
The Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Josiah Ajiboye, has maintained that teachers in the public schools who are not computer savvy and Internet Computers Technology (ICT) inclined stand the risk of losing their jobs as the world goes digital.
In a Zoom webinar meeting, the Registrar told reporters that following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nigerian education system would not remain the same.
The professor urged teachers across the board to upgrade their skills and renew their licenses with TRCN to remain relevant in their career.
‘The workplace is transformed and digitized,’ he said. ‘Any teacher who can’t use simple gadgets and tools (I mean those I refer to as “born before computer”), are disadvantaged already. Thus, we must embrace the new normals and reality.’
He added that teachers must brace to with the realities on ground and face the challenges in the profession, suggesting that any teacher who cannot use the computer is ill-equipped for the modern teaching profession.
‘The world has moved on in every facet of human endeavour, we can’t afford to lag behind, so if you are not computer savvy don’t be proud of yourself.’
Meanwhile, NGOs Teach For Nigeria and ProFutoro are set to train 12,000 public school teachers in Lagos, Ogun and Kaduna states.
Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Executive Officer, Teach For Nigeria, Folawe Omikunle, said: ‘As the world continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative for the education sector to find creative ways to ensure continuous learning. This is why we have partnered with ProFuturo. Teachers will be better equipped to deliver quality education beyond the four walls of the classroom.
‘I am confident that this initiative will, in many ways, contribute to the development of the Nigerian education sector and ensure that all children, regardless of their background, receive quality education for better life outcomes in the future.
‘This innovative training programme is aimed at positioning these 12,000 teachers as classroom leaders, enhancing both their pedagogical and digital skills through a very practical and structured curriculum that provides them with teaching tools and peer-to-peer support. These leaders will impact positively on thousands of students in under-served schools improving their possibilities of a successful future.
‘To maximize and achieve these results, the training will be delivered through Teach For Nigeria fellows who will then cascade the formation delivering a quality training to public primary school teachers across the different Teach For Nigeria states of operation.
‘As we continue to observe social distancing rules and restrictions placed on movement due to COVID-19, the training will be delivered via relevant digital platforms. This will ensure that the training is not further delayed and that teachers can acquire relevant skills to ensure continuous learning and contribute to mitigating the effects on education of the closure of schools due to COVID-19,’ she explained.
The General Manager of ProFuturo, Magdalena Brier, on her part, pointed to the fact that though schools around the world have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, education cannot wait.
‘The future of millions of children depends on it. In this context, we must resort to the power of remote digital education, which today has more meaning than ever. ProFuturo has been working in this field for nearly four years, taking digital education to every corner of the world to prepare teachers and students for the challenges of the digital era.
‘We are happy to put our expertise to good use in this joint programme. We must all work together to prevent the already existing educational gap from widening due to a new digital gap.
‘Also, Teach For Nigeria has partnered with the Ogun State government to deliver class lessons through electronic platforms – TV and Radio. All students, regardless of their backgrounds are able to access these platforms to learn. This comes as part of efforts to ensure continuous learning, despite federal and state government directives to temporarily shut down schools in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19,’ she said.