Yemisi Izuora
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has trained over 1000 science teachers in secondary schools across the country as part of its Teachers Development Training Programme, the Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote said at the weekend.
He spoke at the closing ceremony of the 2nd phase of the training programme in Kastina State, which benefitted 270 teachers and was organised with support from the State Ministry of Education.
Represented by the Director, Planning Research and Statistics, NCDMB, Mr. Patrick Daziba Obah, the Executive Secretary promised that NCDMB would increase the pace of continuous development of teachers across the country.
He explained that the Board’s sponsorship of the retraining programme is borne out of its desire to create new models in the quest for academic knowledge, adding that trainings given to teachers would enable their students to compete with counterparts elsewhere in the world and position them in the knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
He expressed hope that the training of teachers would translate to better performances by their students in WAEC, NECO, JAMB and other national and international examination and lead to better technical skills and craftsmanship.
He also charged the teachers to ensure that Katsina State emerge as number one state in STEM Education and the students amongst the leaders in the quest for technological and industrial self-reliance.
Wabote stressed that NCDMB was set up to ensure the development and utilization of Nigerian materials, equipment and workforce in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry and the realization of this important goal required technical workforce, better trained administrators and personnel with essential skills
He maintained that “the teaching methods of yesterday is no longer sufficient for the challenges of today and so we have modified the design and delivery of this programme in response to your needs. This year we have given you electronic tablets with all the reading materials and we have enough reasons to continue to advance the methods of learning.”
Speaking further, the Executive Secretary stated that NCDMB places a high premium on capacity development, especially in the teaching of STEM education across secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
According to him, “our target is to train a minimum of one thousand science teachers each year and to upgrade and equip technical schools to provide infrastructure required for the acquisition of technical, digitization and essential skills.”
He noted that NCDMB has started the upgrade and equipping of some existing technical and vocational schools and provided modular science laboratories, modern teaching aids and improved science and engineering infrastructure in some tertiary institutions.
In his remarks, the General Manager Capacity Building Division, NCDMB, Dr. Ama Ikiru explained that the Board organized a phase 2 of the programme in Kastina because the state government was receptive of the initiative and collaborated effectively with the Board.
The Commissioner for Education, Kastina State, Dr. Badamasi Lawal commended NCDMB for sponsoring the retraining of teachers in the state, noting that “it is remarkable that an agency that is based in Bayelsa State will come all the way to train teachers in Kastina.”
He noted that students from the state recorded an improved performance in the last WAEC and NECO examinations, an indication that the NCDMB sponsored teachers retraining programme begun in 2018 was already making a positive impact.
The event also featured presentations from some secondary school students and award of prizes to the best participating teachers from the five-week training programme held during the last school holiday period.