MALAM Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education, on Tuesday said that teacher education must be well funded and given special attention to boost quality of education.

Adamu, represented by Mr Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said this at a Stakeholders’ Meeting on “The Implementation of the Developed Framework of the Teacher Education Development Funds Account (TEDFA) in Abuja.

He said the quality of teacher education usually had multiplier effects on the entire educational system.

According to him, it produces the teachers who train pupils and students that subsequently acquire higher education from the institutions of higher learning and contribute their quota to national development.

The minister said the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and African Union’s Agenda 2063 and Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016-2025) had opened up fresh opportunity for countries.

He said these opportunities were for countries to work together to re-position their education systems, especially teacher quality and educational achievements.

“The world that teachers are preparing young people to step into is changing so rapidly and the teaching skills required are likewise evolving.

“No initial teacher course of teacher education either from colleges of education or universities can be sufficient to prepare a teacher for a career of 30 or 40 years.

“In addition, as the student body continues to change due to demographic issue there is a continuous pressure on teacher not only to have mastery of their subjects but also to understand their students.’’

Adamu stressed the need for relevant stakeholders to find alternative sources of funding teacher education in the country in view of  the delay in disbursement of funds through government’s appropriation.

“Funding through budgetary process is affected by many problems including revenue constraints, budgetary delays which make full implementation unattainable, non-cash backed appropriations and other uncertainties.

“This is why we need to look inward for alternative sources of funding teacher education and this is the reason for TEDFA,’’ he said.

The minister said TEDFA is a pool of funds expected from several sources and dedicated to the execution of Teacher Education Plans covering pre-service and in-service Teacher Education and Continuous Professional Development.

Adamu said TEDFA was needed primarily for increased, well-targeted transparently and prudently managed funding for adequate and relevant personnel, resources, infrastructure facilities, ICT and technical equipment as input for teacher development programme.

He said some of the objectives of TEDFA include supporting teachers across the nation who wish to deliver effective teaching and learning in the classroom.

Others are to motivate teachers and provide opportunities for their continuous professional development, advancement and improvement in their chosen career and to ensure funding is used effectively to promote partnership between schools and organisations.

In his remarks, the Permanent secretary, suggested other sources of funding for teacher education to include parents and employers of labour.

According to him, attitude will change when other stakeholders see that their investment in education is yielding positive results  in terms manpower needs for the nation’s economy.

He also stressed the need for the Federal Inland Revenue Service in ensuring efficiency in collecting the mandatory two per cent tertiary education tax from registered companies in Nigeria, saying the agency must be engaged in dialogue towards optimal performance. (NAN)

– Jul. 3, 2018 @ 19:35 GMT |