FCE(T),Umunze College Holds Capacity Building Workshop for Teachers …reviews College of Education standards/curriculum

Following the public outcry on poor quality of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) graduates and their inability to effectively deliver instruction at the primary school level,

the management of Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze, Anambra state in collaboration with National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), has organised a 3-day capacity building workshop for Teacher Educators of Early Childhood Care and Education in Colleges of Education in the College.

The workshop, with the theme: “Towards Enhancing Quality Standard of Teaching and Learning in Colleges of Education”, was organised to build the capacity of teacher educators on the best global practices of training indigenous Early Childhood Education for pre-service teachers using Indigenous Early Childhood Care and Education Modules to support the successful implementation of NCE’s ECCE curriculum.

Speaking on the workshop, Head Quality Assurance Unit, NCCE Abuja, Dr. Abdulkareen A.Y, noted that the workshop would enable the participants to understand the structures, contents and methodologies of the new NCE Curriculum and implication of restructuring of‎ College of Education, to guide the participants in identifying the most effective ways of transforming the QA units into effective organs of QA in the College, to guide and support the participants to articulate the most effective strategies for promoting a culture of quality and mainstreaming the approved standards of pre-service teacher Education and to understand the aims, objectives and structures.

He stated that the NCE’s ECCE Curriculum is in tandem with regional efforts in ensuring a culturally relevant in ECCE approach that is both African in orientation and affordable to local population in Africa.

He said the Commission has reviewed its teacher education curriculum and aligned it with that of basic Education to make it more relevant and adequate for teaching at the basic education level. He said the review has led to expansion of NCE Minimum Standards to include five new level specific NCE programmes, which are Primary Education Studies, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), Junior Secondary School Education, Adult and Non-Formal Education and Special Needs Education to produce specialist teachers for each of the five focal areas.

Abdulkareen further explained that the Commission, with support from DFID under the Teacher Development Programme, has embarked on series of orientation workshops for college management and lecturers on the new curriculum and college restructuring.

Earlier In his welcome address, Prof. Josephat Ogbuagu, Provost of the College, said the workshop was aimed at building the capacity of early childhood teacher educators in Nigeria.

“The objective is to build the capacity of our teacher educators on the best global practice of training indigeneous early childhood care and education modules in support of NCE minimum standards ECCE curriculum”

“This is in line with regional efforts in ensuring a culturally relevant early childhood education approach that is both African in orientation and affordable to local population in Africa” he added.

He further disclosed that NCCE emphasizes on early childhood education, which he said is the foundation for basic education because according to him Africa must have a strong and viral teaching force to have qualitative teaching and education.

Ogbuagu noted that the workshop is aimed at producing specialist teachers for each level of education. He expressed optimism that the new NCE minimum standards which was giving to all the participants and circulated will help in actualizing the efforts, expressing hope that it would help address challenges often faced in preparing teachers for Basic Education.

He also called for a look at the possibility of incorporating local Nigeria values in the curriculum content so as to ensure unique identity for the Nigerian Child.