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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), has allayed public fears and concerns that the recent decision by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to exempt candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education from participating in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) would negatively affect the quality of intakes into the colleges.
At a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the Executive Secretary of NCCE, Dr Angela Ajala, said the decision, which was unanimously endorsed at the recent Policy Meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), was aimed at removing barriers and encouraging increased enrolment into Colleges of Education.
She said: “We are not opening the door to mediocrity. What we are saying is that a young Nigerian who is passionate about teaching should not be discouraged by avoidable administrative obstacles.
“Teacher education must become accessible, but not careless; flexible, but not weak; inclusive, but not substandard. Hence, our focus remains quality, competence, professionalism and national relevance.”
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She admitted that although Nigeria needs more teachers, the country does not need just anybody in the classroom. “Nigeria needs prepared teachers, professional teachers, competent teachers, ethical teachers and future-ready teachers,” she said.
She maintained that the world has changed significantly and that it would be a disservice to Nigerian children to continue teaching them with outdated approaches.
She said: “For decades, Nigeria has struggled with declining learning outcomes, shortages of qualified teachers, weak foundational literacy and numeracy, and the low attractiveness of the teaching profession among many young people.
“At the same time, the world has changed. The child has changed. The classroom has changed. Technology has changed. The economy has changed. The skills required for the future have changed. Therefore, teacher preparation must also change.”
