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- 8,900 teachers trained since 2023 — Adagba
The British Council has commended improvements in the quality of education, pupil enrolment and teacher development in Benue State, as it begins a capacity-building programme for 150 teachers and headteachers in partnership with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Director of English and School Education at the British Council, Fwanshishak Daniel, gave the assessment at the opening of the Strengthening Teachers’ English Proficiency (STEP) and School Leadership Capacity Building Workshop at Holy Family Primary School, Kanshio.
Daniel said the state had recorded progress in educational quality, high pupil enrolment and teacher development in recent times.
He said the STEP programme was designed to improve teachers’ proficiency in English and enhance their professional capacity, communication skills and effectiveness in classroom interactions.
Declaring the training open, Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Dr Margaret Adamu, said the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia had placed teacher development at the centre of its education reforms through strategic partnerships.
She listed infrastructure upgrades, continuous professional development of teachers and provision of grants to schools among interventions undertaken by the administration.
Adamu described the partnership with the British Council to train 150 teachers as a deliberate investment in the human capital needed to sustain the transformation of schools across the state.
Earlier, Executive Chairman of Benue SUBEB, Dr Grace Adagba, said about 8,900 teachers had undergone various training programmes in the state since 2023.
According to her, the interventions include Stimulating Teacher Resourcefulness in Digital Education (STRIDE), Supporting Pedagogical Rigour in Networked Teaching (SPRINT), Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE), as well as Jolly Phonics training conducted in partnership with Universal Learning Solutions.
Adagba said the STEP programme complemented the Alia administration’s policy of promoting teachers’ welfare and continuous professional development.
Chairman of the Benue State House of Assembly Committee on Basic Education, Dr Elias Audu, and state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Levi Akura, also commended the government’s interventions in teachers’ welfare and professional development.
The STEP programme will run for five days of physical training for teachers and headteachers, followed by 10 weeks of online training.
