By Deborah Coker
The Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, has said the Federal Government was committed to making the teaching profession dynamic, relevant, and globally competitive.
Nwajiuba said this on Thursday in Benin at the 2022 Seplat Joint Venture (JV) education round table/Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP) award ceremony.
He said that the teaching profession has been re-branded, adding that the government was dogged in its resolve to make it attractive and financially fulfilling for Nigerians.
According to him, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been making instructive policies to bring about a robust reform in the education sector, especially in the teaching profession.
“The government has developed strategies to attract the best brains to the teaching profession. This development is aimed at motivating teachers to continue to strive for excellence.”
He noted that Seplat was a socially responsible organisation, and commended the company for putting in tireless effort in nurturing these beneficiaries.
The Minister also noted thst the STEP programme fulfills the goal of the federal government and the private sector partnership, which is to work together to produce teachers with requisite knowledge, skills, and desirable attitude.
“You have been bequeathed with a solid foundation.
“A foundation that enables you to be emotionally, psychologically, socially and technologically prepared to handle the delicate art of teaching across all levels of education.
“You represent what is great about this programme. Remember that cultivating a positive emotional disposition, as well as the acquisition of knowledge and pedagogical skill will make you succeed in this profession.
“From today, you will not only be transferring knowledge, but you will also be shaping the minds and hearts of these precious children. To quote Aristotle, “educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
Similarly in his remarks, Mr Phillip Shaibu, the Edo Deputy Governor, while congratulating the beneficiaries, said that to whom much is given, much is expected.
According to Shaibu, in Edo, our pride is our teachers and in Edo we have leverage on technology so our children can be global competitors.
“Teaching face in Edo has change through our Edo-Best initiative, because technology is key”.
He urged the beneficiaries to use the knowledge acquired from the STEP programme to retrain the students in the state to be global competitors.
He added that the theme for the event “Harnessing The Role of Technology in Nigeria’s Education Sector was apt.
In an opening remarks, Mr Roger Brown, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director, Seplat Energy PLC said that the current target group for the STEP programme was the secondary school teachers in public and private schools in the company’s host states of Edo and Delta.
Represented by Dr Chioma Nwachukwu, Director External Affairs and Sustainability, Brown said this was to specifically promote quality education in the states through trainings of select school teachers in critical thinking leadership.
He said this would help improve their competence to teach students through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) methodology.
He disclosed that 463 teachers comprising 314 teachers and 49 Chief Inspectors of Education were trained in the STEP programme.
He added that the STEP app which was provided by participants during the training was an interactive app which accommodates 10,000 learners simultaneously.
Brown added that the company had continued to implement customised education programmes of significant impact to support the country attain goal 4 of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for inclusive and equitable quality education.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that beneficiaries of the programme were drawn from Edo and Delta states. (NAN)
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