The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has trained 1,480 teachers in multigrade pedagogies, a teaching method designed for small groups of children of different grade levels in the same classroom.

According to the Executive Secretary, UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, the program aimed to equip teachers with skills to effectively teach in areas where teachers are scarce due to challenging terrain.

Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary, UBEC, Prof. Bala Zakari, Bobboyi emphasised that the initiative fosters a mindset of diversity, innovation, collaboration, and motivation among teachers, leading to improved learning outcomes.

The training selected 40 teachers from each state and the FCT, totaling 1,480 participants.

“You are all aware that one of the challenges bedevilling the UBE implementation in Nigeria is the inability of some learners to access quality education that translates to improved learning outcomes due to their location.

“Some who have access in the rural areas do not have the opportunity to have teachers available due to the challenge of bad terrain.

“The consequence of this is low enrolment and increase in the number of out-of-school children as learners lose interest in education and drop-out from school.

“In the rural and hard to reach areas, the provision of quality education is challenging as attracting and retaining qualified teachers is difficult.

“And this causes parents/guardians to be less inclined in enrolling their children in school or withdrawing them from school since their education needs are not met,” he said.

Boboyyi noted that the training was apt considering the general outcry by stakeholders over the dearth of teaching staff in the rural and hard-to-reach schools.

He explained that the commission in its census carried out in 2022, discovered that about two million teachers were manning over 46 million learners in the country, a situation he said required urgent attention.

“In a world where classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse and complex, it is essential for teachers to be equipped with strategies that will enable them to effectively engage and support learners irrespective of their age, ability, interest and socio-economic background.

“The multigrade and mixed ability teaching approach allows teachers to create inclusive and dynamic learning environments where every learner has the opportunity to thrive and succeed,” he said.

He, therefore, pledged the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing whatever challenges facing effective teaching and learning while making all learners able to effectively compete with their contemporaries globally.

On her part, the Director, Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David said the training would offer a framework for effective teaching in classrooms with students of multiple age groups and varying learning abilities.

Olatunji-David, represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr Israel Adedotun, commended teachers in hard-to-reach and rural areas, saying their passion for education played a vital role in building the future of our nation.

“Multigrade pedagogy is available as a panacea to  challenges of out-of-school children.

“It will also ensure that every learner in the rural and hard-to-reach schools has the attention of the teacher and his or her learning needs are met in the classroom.

“With this methodology, children from these targeted communities will have access to quality education as their teachers now have what it takes to teach, especially those having learners of different grades in their classes,” she said.

The Director of Teacher Development at UBEC, Mr. Mayowa Aleshin, highlighted that the training would tackle obstacles hindering effective teaching and learning, particularly in rural schools.

Aleshin emphasised the need to prioritise learners in hard-to-reach and rural areas to address challenges like out-of-school children and ensure every learner reaches their full potential through education.

Stakeholders, including the Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC) and UNICEF, voiced their support for the initiative.

By Sodiq Adelakun

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has identified poor infrastructure, surge in candidate enrollment, inadequate funding, examination malpractice, and question paper leaks as major constraints in ensuring fair and credible examinations in Nigeria.

The Registrar, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, made this known at a one-day retreat in Abuja on Monday.

According to Wushishi, despite NECO’s commitment to building a robust and equitable national assessment system that fosters educational excellence, the body faces numerous challenges.

He emphasised that strong legislation can contribute to aligning Nigerian qualifications with international standards.

The Registrar highlighted the need for improved infrastructure, adequate funding, and effective measures to combat examination malpractice and question paper leaks.

He noted that these challenges have contributed to the fallen standards of education in Nigeria, and NECO is working to address these issues to ensure fair and credible examinations.

He said, “These challenges underscore the critical need for a comprehensive national examination law specifically regulating all aspects of examination in Nigeria.

“We lack such a law, relying instead on a patchwork of regulations across examination bodies and individual schools,this creates vulnerabilities in the system.”

Speaking further, the Registrar proposed a bill titled, “The Conduct of Examinations in Nigeria,” urging members of the National Assembly to look into it to “create a future where Nigerian examinations are fair and equitable.”

By Sodiq Adelakun

The Lagos State  University-Africa  Centre of Excellence  for Innovative and Transformative STEM Education (LASU-ACEITSE) has inaugurated a cutting-edge laboratory aimed at training students in science, mathematics, and technology.

The laboratory was unveiled on Monday in a ceremony attended by dignitaries, including the National Coordinator, ACE Impact, Nigeria, Dr. Joshua Atah.

Dr. Atah commended the quality leadership and support of the university team, attributing the project’s success to their efforts.

He encouraged the university management and the LASU-ACEITSE team to build capacity at the leadership and implementation levels to sustain the project.

The laboratory is equipped with modern facilities and equipment, providing a conducive environment for students to explore and innovate in STEM fields.

“This project will be ending in the next 13 months, and so, all hands must be on deck to ensure that the goals of the ACE Impact project are achieved.

“In your efforts to build capacity, you can count on the support of the project implementation unit of the ACE Impact project at the National Universities Commission as we have done in the past.

“By the design of this project, under the disbursement linked indicators, quality of education and research through regionalisation, centres were expected to achieve certain milestones in order to qualify for the earnings.

“One of those results is the improved teaching and research environment. Today, you have made it clear to the world that the achievement of this result is complete,” he said.

In her remarks, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, Vice-Chancellor, LASU said that the centre was critical to the achievement of the objective of internationalisation and making the university the best in West Africa.

Olatunji-Bello said that for this reason, the management of the university was committed to the goals and aspirations of the ACE-Impact Project.

“We have continued to sustain and improve the academic and administrative performance of the Centre.

“Since the establishment of the Centre in 2018, it has continued to play a key role in capacity building, not only for registered students of the centre but also for the other students and indeed, staff of the University,” she said.

Olatunji-Bello added that the centre had gone offshore in its delivery of short courses.

“The recent training of 311 STEM teachers in Benin Republic, in April this year, is a case in hand,”she said.

Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, Pioneer Director of LASU-ACEITSE said that the project was approved by the World Bank and Federal Government for the training of exemplary, top quality STEM teachers.

Okebukola, also former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), said that so far, the centre had produced, more than ever, masters, PHD, research students in West Africa.

“This laboratory will provide STEM students with hands-on experiences because science is about knowledge, skills.

“I want to specially thank LASU V-C and all the management team and Director of the centre, one of the greatest mathematicians in education, for bringing this vision to reality.

“I want everyone in the country to know that we have the best centre for training top quality teachers in STEM.

“STEM education is for everyone, all we need is to create more awareness for people to be aware by encouraging children to study STEM,” he said.

Okebukola emphasised the importance of government policies to advance STEM education in Nigeria, stressing the need for implementation and monitoring.

Director of LASU-ACEITSE, Prof. Rasheed Sanni, urged governments at all levels to establish STEM education laboratories across local governments to support teachers and students.

He highlighted that since the inception of the centre, numerous students, including those pursuing master’s and PhD degrees, have graduated.