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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has launched a new teacher development programme, Teacher Internship Scheme (TIS), designed to support States in the emergence of a new generation of teachers with skills and knowledge needed to excel in the digital age and help in the implementation of smart education in Nigeria.
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), designed the TIS programme to address the dearth of teachers in the field of smart education, with the establishment of 37 Smart Schools across the country.
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), made a commitment of about $10.4 million in technical support for the project.
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, who flagged off the teacher Internship scheme, on Thursday, at the UBEC Digital Resource Centre, located at Kado, Abuja, also inspected facilities established to serve as a hub for creating and distributing resources to schools as well as training the school personnel.
He admitted that ICT has dominated every spectrum of life, hence Nigeria must make a paradigm shift from the traditional method of teaching children using blackboard and chalk.
He commended the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi and his management team for the initiative, noting that one could not be talking of quality of education without teachers with the right skills and knowledge to drive the process.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Bobboyi, explained that participants of the TIS programme are graduates of education selected based on merit from all the states of the federation, and are expected to go through intensive training for two years.
“It is envisaged that at the end of the two-year programme, the Interns would emerge as a new breed of teachers, equipped with the skills and knowledge to harness the power of technology and transform the learning experience.
“They would not just be teachers; they would be smart teachers who would be innovators, catalysts for change, and architects of a brighter future for the Nigerian child,” he said.
Country Director, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Nigeria Office, Mr. Son Sungil, disclosed in his remarks, that KOICA had secured a budget of $10.4 million to support Nigeria in the establishment of Smart Schools in the country.
He said the support was largely in the areas of digital content development for Mathematics and science subjects; content development Studio for digital content creation; capacity building for teachers; school leadership and high-level education stakeholders; guideline for Smart school operation and monitoring and evaluation.
While commending the visionary leadership of UBEC’s Executive Secretary, Sungil, pledged the commitment of KOICA to continue to work with UBEC and other stakeholders to make future better for the Nigerian children.
