The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), in partnership with the Department for International Development (DFID), on Thursday pledged its commitment to reform teachers’ education in the country.
Prof. Muhammed Junaid, the NCCE Executive Secretary, made the pledge in Abuja at the joint meeting of the National Technical Committee on Teachers Development Programme (TDP).
“NCCE is strongly committed to bringing about fundamental reform of pre-service teachers’ education and the production of teachers of good quality for the basic education sector.
“Significantly, raise learning outcomes for student teachers and learners in the basic education sector,’’ Junaid said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that TDP is a programme funded by DFID U.K.
The objective of the programme is to improve the skills and knowledge of teachers and change the way children are taught in classrooms for better learning outcomes.
Junaid said that TDP and the commission developed a reform strategy after it was confirmed that the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) holders could not effectively handle the curriculum of basic education.
The executive secretary said the aim of the programme was to refocus colleges of education and other teacher training institutes, to produce professional teachers.
He said the teachers produced must have the required knowledge and methodology to teach in various areas of basic education such as Early Childhood Care and Primary Education.
Others are Special Needs Education, Adult and Non-formal Education, and Junior Secondary Education.
According to him, the training of master trainers will commence in June 2015 with the training of college lecturers.
“Our ultimate aim in implementing the programme is to engender a paradigm shift in the way lecturers teach from traditional transmission model to constructivist gender sensitive pedagogy,’’ Junaid said.
Also speaking, Dr Nguyan Feese, the National Programme Manager of TDP, said the programme would boost the quality of teachers in the country because not all teachers in the classroom were qualified.
She said the programme was a new form of teachers’ education which was responsive to the needs of teachers and students.
“Not all teachers are qualified and we are training them to meet the minimum standard set by the National Council of Education, which is the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE).
“We cannot send teachers who do not have NCE away from the classrooms; we just need to upgrade them through quality trainings’’, Feese said. (
📌 Editor’s Note: For content partnerships and collaborations, reach out via editor@naija247news.com
Naija247news Media Group LLC is committed to ethical, independent journalism that serves the public interest. Our editorial process prioritizes accuracy, fairness, and transparency in reporting. All content is fact-checked and held to the highest standards of integrity. Learn more in our full editorial policy here.
© 2025 Naija247news Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from Naija247news Media Group LLC.
Reporting by Babatunde Akinsola in Lagos, Nigeria.
