The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education(NCCE), Prof. Bappa-Aliyu Muhammadu has called on teachers to be dedicated to duty as some schools resume across the country.
The NCCE boss made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, at the end of a send off party organised for some retirees of the commission.
He said the new normal, presented by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake up call for teachers across the country to brace up to new challenges, particularly in the area of e-learning.
According to him, it is only a dedicated teacher that will be spurred to adjust to the new challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic to impact meaningfully.
He also urged them to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines by maintaining social distance and basic hygiene requirements to keep them and the students safe from the pandemic.
He said, “teachers should ensure that the safety that is required is maintained and the items required for general cleanliness and the right environment are properly utilised.
“On acquisition of skills, I urge teachers to equip themselves with skills for e-learning because it has become more important than ever, particularly with the pandemic.
“Those who have the know-how should ensure that students understand what they are impacting.
“For those who do not have, we have appealed to the government and will continue to appeal that the institutions that do not have should be helped to acquire the technology for e-learning.
He commended the government for supporting teacher education, particularly in the colleges of education, to ensure that they produced quality teachers that could compete with their counterparts in other climes.
He called for more support, to motivate more Nigerians to take to the teaching profession in order to meet up with the increasing population.
Muhammadu said, “teacher production is a continuous process and as at today, we have over 200 institutions producing basic teachers though they are not enough because of our population.
“We thank the government for providing teaching equipment through TETFund and for paying teachers’ salaries more promptly.
“We also want to register our appreciation for the way the government is handling education in the country.”
On the sendoff organised for retirees, the executive secretary said it was a memorable occasion, adding that they contributed immensely to the fulfilment of the commission’s mandate.
He urged the members of staff still in service to emulate the retirees by putting in their best to help the commission deliver on its mandate.
One of the retirees, Mrs Fati Suleiman, former Director Personnel, urged those still in service to take their work seriously.
She said, “they should continue putting in their best because hard work pays.”
