The Federal College of Education (FCE), Yola, has called for the urgent implementation of a national teacher education policy to enhance quality teacher training and recruitment.
The college made the call on Thursday in Yola during its 50th anniversary and convocation lecture, tagged “50 years of innovative quality teacher education and bridging gaps for community service”
The convocation lecture held at professor Aminu Chiroma Auditorium, FCE Yola brought together stakeholders across the country, including the Adamawa state deputy governor professor Kaletapwa Farauta who is an Alumni member of the institution.
The Guest Lecturer Professor Muhammad Gurama Dukku dwelt on a topic “Fifty years of bridging the teacher education gap in Nigeria: the experience of the federal college of education Yola,” emphasized the demand for trained, quality and competent teachers for a viable education system.
He regretted the employment of unqualified teachers at primary and secondary levels of education, reiterating that the success of any educational system depends on the quality of its teachers.
Professor Dukku therefore recommended the implementation of teacher education curriculum in terms of content and pedagogical skills, stepping up of full professional teaching in Nigeria.
The Guest Lecturer identified teacher’s supply and quality issues as challenges to teachers, adding that teacher training mode, poor funding of teacher education, school based impediments, poor conditions of service for teachers among others also posed serious threat to quality teacher education in Nigeria, especially at the basic level.
According to him, corruption and compromise in the system with adverse effects for teacher quality has been a major challenge.
Professor Dukku, however admits that FCE Yola has produced 40,522 NCE graduates since its inception in 1974, a phenomenal achievement and contribution to the development of teacher education in Nigeria.
He acknowledged that the demand for quality teachers in the school system appears to be higher than the training institutions produced, stressing that FCE Yola remains unmoved as it continues to produce quality teachers geared towards narrowing the teachers supply gap in the country.
