The Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Monday said it trained over 12,600 teachers, head teachers and its personnel in the last quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021.
The Executive Chairman, Ekiti SUBEB, Prof Femi Akinwumi made this known in Ado-Ekiti at the opening of a 5-Day training programme for Early Childhood Education Caregivers in the state.
Akinwumi, who was represented by Mr Tope Babalola, the Director of Social Mobilisation and Media in the board, explained that the personnel were trained in modern teaching methodology and other ways of improving service delivery in public schools in the state.
He said that no fewer than 10,762 teachers of public primary and secondary schools had participated in the training .
“Others were 700 newly recruited teachers, 908 head teachers, 202 quality assurance and school support officers and 28 members of the SUBEB management,” he said.
According to him, teachers and other personnel critical to quality service delivery in the basic education sector in the state were exposed to trainings on a wide range of topics including; 21st century teaching methodologies, and school safety
Others, he said, include Digital literacy, Jolly Phonics, School Based Model Training as well as Leadership and Strategic Management in the COVID-19 era.
Akinwumi said that the training was a manifestation of the harmonious working relationship between Ekiti SUBEB and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
He commended the current administration for paying all outstanding UBEC counterpart funds for 2016, 2017, 2018,2019 and 2020, totaling over N7.3 billion.
The SUBEB chairman added that this had paved way for the ongoing transformation in the basic education sector particularly in the areas of infrastructure and capacity development of staff.
He said that reputable educational institutions including the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti; Obafemi Awolowo University , Ile-ife ; Federal University Oye-Ekiti; and the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) , Ondo were involved in the training programmes
The SUBEB boss urged participants at the training programme to pay rapt attention to the resource persons so that the programme would have the required multiplier effect when they get to their various schools.
Also speaking at the event, the UBEC State Coordinator, Mr Joshua Arema stressed the importance of training and retraining of teachers in achieving efficiency in basic education sector.
He noted that the present administration in the state was taking full advantage of UBEC intervention programmes to reposition basic education in the state .
In a keynote address, the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Dr O A Makinde, stressed the importance of Pre Primary Education in the educational development of pupils.
According to her, at the foundation level of education, the Pre-Primary Classes are quite important to what a pupil grows up to become in life.