Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The Committee of Deans of Education in Nigerian Universities (CODENU) has frowned at the practice of posting Youth Corpers who are not graduates of education courses to teach during their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
This was contained in a communiqué signed by CODENU National committee’s Chairman, Prof. Julius Ademokoya, and was obtained by Sunday Sun.
The communiqué was issued at the end of two-day summit of CODENU held on 22nd to 24th October at University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) with the theme; “Educational Challenges and Interventions,” with the view of addressing challenges confronting the Nigeria education sector and proffering solutions to the nagging issues.
The communique also called for adequate funding of the faculty to enable them to improve in morden Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure.
The communique reads in part, “posting of Youth Corpers who are not graduates of education courses to teach in schools is unethical and should, discontinued to the NYSC authority.
“The practice where faculties of education in the Universities are required to admit students who could not meet cut-off points for admission into some faculties should be discouraged and stopped. The faculty of education should not be a dumping group. This is to avoid admitting students who have no interest in teaching profession in addition to preventing the lowering of the quality of teacher education.
“Faculty of education should be adequately funded to enable them improve on the ICT infrastructure and other instructional resources.
“Teaching practice should be a one shot exposure of one semester to enable the prospective teachers acquire adequate and effective teaching knowledge and skills,” he said.
The communique further called on Universities to establish a special postgraduate Diploma in education programme to help lecturer without teaching qualification to become professional.
“Universities should mount special Postgraduate diploma in education programme in effort to acquaint lecturers without teaching qualification become professionally groomed. This will be done to improve the teaching and learning capacities of such lecturer in university service.”
It, however, appealed that the faculty of education should not be made to readmit non-performing students from other programmes in Universities.
