US Consulate trains 100 teachers in Oyo State
More that 100 public primary and secondary school teachers in Oyo State on Friday began a 12-month hands-on training organised by the United States Consulate for enhanced and improved teaching competence.
The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) reports that the ‘hands-on teacher training programme’ which opened at the American Space, Ibadan was geared towards innovative teaching techniques.
The Acting US Consul General in Lagos, Mr Stephen Ibeli, noted that education was the foundation upon which a country could achieve all its development goals, hence the investment in teachers’ development in Nigeria.
Ibeli said: “The programme is teaching teachers and giving them skills to enable them become more functional in classrooms.
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“We are investing in the future of the generation vis-a-vis the teachers. I think all of you would probably think back to a teacher that influenced you, a teacher that helped you, a teacher that set you on the right path of life.
“This is what we are trying to do, to give teachers practical skills to be able to bring them to the classrooms, to do arts and bring arts into their teaching.
“A little bit of creativity in a way to build creativity into teaching so as to inspire the students and their imagination.”
He noted the immense contribution of teachers in Nigeria hence the need to provide them tools that were necessary to further enhance their work.
“Through One Million Teachers, we are giving the teachers a lifetime access to a database that would ensure that they can keep upgrading their skills continuously from resilience in the classroom to using arts to teach Biology for example.
“So, we are very proud of this partnership with this training for 100 teachers all over Oyo State.
“We appreciate the cooperation with the Ministry of Education in Oyo State that has helped us to identify the best teachers for this training that would bring these skills back to the classrooms,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, One Million Teachers, Mr Akeem Zubair, commended the collaboration was between Five Cowries and US Consulate to enhance the quality of teachers in Oyo State.
“We are not only providing lifetime access for professional development of teachers, but we are helping them to help their students develop critical skills to thrive in the 21st century.
“Skills like collaboration, communication skills, creativity and critical thinking.
“The programme will run for 12 months in addition to the orientation programme that has been on for the past weeks; that has us inviting teachers from all over Oyo State in collaboration with SUBEB and the State Ministry of Education.
“After they finish the orientation, they are going to get continuous professional support,” Zubair said.
He noted that teachers were the most significant tool for enhancing students’ learning, hence the need to help them in some ways to perform better.
“If you raise the capacity of teachers you will raise the quality of students and education.
“We want to raise high quality, highly educated and highly empowered teachers, the ripple effect of which will bring outstanding benefits to the country,” Zubair said.
One of the participants, Mrs Joke Ojo, said she was glad to be part of the selected teachers in the state.
“The training would help me become a better teacher,” she noted.
VMT NEWS reports that the hands-on teacher training programme was a partnership between United States Consulate, Five Cowries, One Million Teachers and Oyo State Ministry of Education.
US Consulate trains 100 teachers in Oyo State
