Minister Bemoans Inadequacies in Teaching Profession

Kuni Tyessi

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu has expressed concern about the inadequacies in the teaching profession noting that it is not able to attract the best and the brightest teachers which have continued to prevent the sector from moving forward.

The minister who made this known, recently, in Abuja, during the inauguration of governing councils of 21 federal colleges of education described the colleges of education as very important institutions as they do not only produce teachers on which everything else depends, they also produce teachers at the basic level.

He noted that the appointments, though enormous and part-time in nature, have come at a time when the country is in recession, adding, “the institutions have suffered since 2015 without governing boards thereby increasing the challenges already plaguing the sector.”

Adamu was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Anwukah said the councils must take and regard as priority the effort to raise the standard of conduct on campus in terms of academics, ethics and morals.

According to him, “the country is in an economic recession. Secondly, your institutions have been without governing councils since 2015. Thirdly, for a long period, there has been a multiplicity of problems left unattended for you to solve. Fourthly, as a profession, teaching is still not able to attract the best and brightest and this government expects that you will help to change this situation. “All councils must take and regard as priority the effort to raise the standard of conduct on campus; academic, ethical and moral. They should have zero tolerance. for academic misconduct; plagiarism, exam malpractice and sexual harassment as well as proliferation of drugs, instances of violence and cultism.

“Despite the pervasiveness and enormity of your responsibilities, I should hasten to add that your appointments are part-time: you are policy makers who formulate the policies that guide management action. You are the guardians of rules and regulations while provosts and management’s are the executors. “Colleges of Education may be the most important institutions because they produce teachers on whom everything else depends; they are the ones that produce teachers for the basic level.