By LAIDE AKINBOADE-ORIERE
ABUJA – Minister of State for Education, Professor Tony Anwukah at the weekend said the system of Basic education in Nigeria will soon be reviewed for the benefit of the Sector.
The Minister stated this in Abuja while speaking to Journalists on the rot in the Nigeria Education system and specifically training of teachers for specific needs of the system.
Professor Anwukah lamented the Poor state of teaching profession in the country saying that teaching must stop from been an all comer game in Nigeria.
He called on the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria ,TRCN to be alive to its responsibility by ensuring that individuals interested in teaching in Nigeria are duly trained and certified for the profession.
“I want to push for major review in primary school level and our pressing worry is based on poor quality of teachers ; NCE supposed to be the minimum bench mark for training in Nigeria but now it has become an all comer game,teaching must stop from been an all comer game, we must not let teaching be a fall back profession.
“Moreso the training of teachers is not in consonance to suppose to teach the basic primary school levels as you will see an NCE graduate who studied physics education teaching integrated science in primary school.
“this is a total misfit” the minister lamented.
Professor Anwukah stressed that teaching Profession has derailed adding that all stakeholders must salvage the sector from total collapse for the betterment of the system and the industry.
Speaking on attracting the best brains into teaching and making it attractive, the Minister said that the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari may wish to make the profession more attractive later in his administration.
On unveiling special policies for the education sector under the Buhari administration, Professor Anwukah said that series of policies had been introduced by past governments and failed to meet set goals due to poor or lack of policy implementation.
He emphasised that the present administration will consolidate on previous attempts to develop the education sector but we will most importantly revisit abandoned policies,review them and fully implement any that is considered fit for the Nigeria education sector.
“There alot of banana peels littered every where and the change mantra is here,everyone must wake up to true service”
“if its possible we will consolidate on what we have on ground and what we are keen about is policy implementation”
The minister urged state governments to adopt new interest in education to give meaning to basic education in the country.
On the ongoing problem confrinting Parent Teachers Assiciation in Federal government Colleges,Professor Anwukah said that the ministry will soon take a stand on the operations of the PTA.Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.VANGAURD
