Ibraheem Musa
21 November 2008
Kaduna — The National Teachers' Institute has not only produced qualified teachers for the country's educational needs but it has also increased access and equity to education at teacher training levels, Malam U. Y Ismaila, the institute's acting Director General and Chief Executive has said.
The Chief Executive of NTI who made this known when the House committee on education visited the institute as part of its oversight function, also said that the institute has successfully pursued its mandate over the years. According to him, NTI has established itself as a major teacher education institution which has produced quality teachers for the country.
Malam Ismaila further said that the institute has made "a decisive breakthrough in providing leadership in teacher education delivery through the distance learning system." NTI has been tasked to produce qualified teachers to meet the new challenges posed by the shortage of teachers to implement the Universal Basic Education programme, he added.
To this end, the institute has been offering the Nigerian Certificate in Education by distance learning programme, postgraduate Diploma in education, Advance Diploma in early childhood education as well as Advanced Diploma in Guidance and Counselling, including courses in school supervision and inspection among several other programmes, the Director General said.
According to him, several local and international agencies have been assisting NTI with its programmes. He mentioned that the Commonwealth of Learning (Vancouver) had donated an "FM stereo radio transmitter which formed the nucleus of NTI Teachers Radio 120." The institute has been having a mutually beneficial relationship with UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank, as well as the Open University of United Kingdom and India, he added.
In his response, the Chairman of the committee Rep Farouk Lawan said that NTI is playing a central role in the education sector. According to him, the teacher is about the most important component in the education system, adding that without a qualified teacher the entire effort at improving the standard of education will be fruitless.
He said that as legislators, they know the pride of place which a teacher occupies in a nation's development and that was why the National Assembly supported the teachers when they embarked on a strike action to demand for better conditions of service. Rep Lawan further said that the committee expects teachers to play their role effectively in the nation's drive to improve education.
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