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The Enugu State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, has stressed the need for constant and periodic training of teachers toward the development of basic education system in the state. The commissioner said this in an interview in Enugu on Wednesday.
He said that the training would expose teachers to the various teaching techniques and skills. Eze added that the government would soon send teachers to the Nigeria Teachers Institute (NTI) for retraining so as to improve their knowledge and skill, in conformity with modern day realities. He also stressed the need to motivate teachers in order to enhance their efficiency, boost their moral and enthrone competition among them.
He noted that “it is widely said that any system without reward will not bring out the best among the manpower that make up the system. “Government must pay attention to rewarding teachers as this will encourage them in the task of impacting knowledge to our children. “The issue of welfare packages to teachers, especially those in basic education can never be overemphasized.” The commissioner said that the state government had concluded arrangements for prompt payment of teachers’ salaries and allowances so as to avoid incessant industrial action that characterised basic education in some parts of the country.
Eze also said that the state government would ensure that those due for promotion were elevated immediately without delay and their retirement should not be delayed in any form. “This will go a long way in encouraging those that are still in active service to restore sanity in our basic education system,” he said. He pointed out that one of the greatest problems facing basic education was inadequate funding, adding that currently, the federal and state governments had been collaborating with the Universal Basic Education Board to fund schools through counterpart fund.
He said that the local government areas had been providing educational materials like chalk, pen, pencil, writing materials and some science text books for various schools. Eze emphasised the need for efficient management of funds and support provided by these government agencies in order to improve the standard and quality of teaching in the country. According to him, heads of basic education boards should be held responsible for any misappropriation of fund and support provided by government. Government on its own part, should evolve appropriate measures to monitor and sanction erring school heads to serve as deterrent to others.
