<\/p>\n
Says no society can grow beyond its educational attainments
\nTeachers are critical in the transformation and development of a country, and this is why they should harness the power of cutting-edge technology in their work so as to better prepare young people for today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n
This was the summation of the speech by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, today in commemoration of World Teachers\u2019 Day at Eagle Square, Abuja.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the theme of this year\u2019s World Teachers\u2019 Day, \u2018The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers,\u2019 Prof. Osinbajo noted that teachers should embrace innovation because they also have an important responsibility to themselves, \u201cfor them to be at the cutting edge of advancements in education and especially the use of technology and modern teaching methods.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emphasising the significance of the knowledge economy in global development today, the Vice President said, \u201cWhereas our previous pedagogy inadvertently produced students who were good stores of crammed information, the demands of the future require that we position our young people to think for themselves, to absorb and process the wealth of information available to them, and to tease out useful knowledge.<\/p>\n
\u201cEducation must respond to the dynamism, speed of development and massive changes in society. Educators must understand the skills required to take full advantage of a world dependent on technology. In addition to listening, education today includes writing, ideation, imagining, and critical thinking skills. It is no longer merely learning by rote,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
While thanking them for their services to the country and its people, the VP who himself was a teacher for 40 years since 1981 urged teachers to continue to \u201cplug themselves into the global knowledge pool\u201d<\/p>\n
According to him, teachers should \u201creach for every resource available to us to better equip ourselves for the challenging and rewarding task of preparing our young people to meet the demands of our changing world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot give what we don\u2019t have, so we must stay on the cutting-edge of research, learning, and development. We can only guide our students in the direction where we ourselves have been,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the VP noted that this year\u2019s World Teachers\u2019 Day was a special day to celebrate teachers, describing them as \u201cthe very best of us and perhaps the most important persons in our nation,\u201d praising them as \u201cthose men and women who daily go into classrooms to banish ignorance, imbue knowledge, inspire and nurture the minds of millions of young people one school day at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the day in the year when we say what we should say every day to our teachers: thank you. Thank you for your patience, commitment, your sacrifice, and your hard work amidst many challenges.<\/p>\n
According to the VP, \u201cno society can grow beyond its educational attainments.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said one of the major differences between healthy, well-functioning and prosperous societies and poorer societies is education.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe owe so much of our well-being as a nation to our educators at every level,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n
Continuing he said, \u201cour future as a nation is so heavily dependent on education and our educators. This explains why the Federal Government is determined to return teachers, teaching and the teaching profession to their rightful places.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo this end, we are fully implementing the professional teaching and teacher qualification framework standards that will invariably impact education outcome and teacher performance at the pre-school, basic, secondary and tertiary levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also developing a verifiable database of teachers in Nigeria, already the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has registered 2,108,342 teachers and licensed 1,250,000 teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur new teachers\u2019 policy is already being implemented at the Federal level and in some States and I urge States that have not, to do so immediately, the gains are already showing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the Federal Government has also launched the Nigerian Learning Passport; a digital learning platform with online, mobile, and offline capability that enables continuous access to quality education.<\/p>\n
On the important role of teachers in mediating the transition to the digital age, the Vice President observed that, \u201cwe live in one of the most rapidly advancing moments in human history. Technology is redefining every aspect of our lives at a dizzying speed, and those who do not keep pace will be left behind. This is true for our children and the young people under our watch today, as it is true for teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in spite of how intimidating and disruptive new waves of technology appear to be, they usher in opportunities for greater efficiency, increased productivity, and growth. We only need to rise to its demands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is, we have a huge opportunity in our hands to leapfrog development in education through technology. But to do this we must continue to invest in expanding our capacity as teachers. We cannot integrate technology successfully, as urgently as we need to, without training and equipping teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Vice President, who restated the commitment of the Administration to continue championing teacher training and development, noted that under the Buhari Administration, the N-Power Scheme, \u201cprovided a technology platform that enabled quick and efficient training for large numbers of teachers in every local government.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Oracle Academy, Microsoft, Cisco Academy, and IBM, it was a successful test case for the readiness of Nigerian teachers to run smart classrooms, and for what government, at all levels, could do to deepen teacher training and expand the integration of technology in our educational systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Vice President also recognized the significant efforts of young Nigerians in the private sector in leveraging technology to democratize access to high-quality education across all levels.<\/p>\n
He cited a few examples:<\/p>\n
*Over 200 Edtech startups across Africa providing impactful, homegrown, innovations to bridge the gap in education,<\/p>\n
*The work of Nigeria\u2019s serial entrepreneur, Sim Shagaya\u2019s U-Lesson, which provides a variety of educational content online for primary and secondary students in line with the curriculum of five countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, the United States and the United Kingdom, and<\/p>\n
*Edu-Koya, which raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding in 2021, and is working to build a pan-African classroom.<\/p>\n
The VP noted that in addition to leveraging technology and innovation for educational transformation, \u201cwe must engage with these homegrown solutions, provide feedback, and adapt them as they fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Vice President further reiterated that Government will continue to support teachers and the development of education in the country, urging them \u201cto continue to strive and push the boundaries of your most honourable profession.\u201d<\/p>\n
Present at the event were Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State; Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu; Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede; NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba; President Nigerian Union of Teachers, Comrade Audu Amba; representatives of UNESCO, UNICEF and ILO and other senior government officials.<\/p>\n
Laolu Akande<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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