Niger State Government is to construct a new permanent site for the Teacher Professional Development Institute in Minna at the cost of N1 billion.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello stated this at the combined graduation of 513 students of the institute held at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.
The Govenor explained that the establishment of the Institute was necessitated by the failing infrastructure and poor quality of teaching and learning observed at the beginning of the present administration.
He said the Institute was also to address the shortfall of Professionally trained teachers and to improve quality of teaching in schools.
“We were very clear about what we wanted to achieve from the Institute right from the inception and that is -to prepare quality students for entry into the teaching workforce and continuous capacity development of serving teachers in the state.
“Today’s combined graduation of the students in the last three academic sessions is a confirmation that we are on track”.
He enumerated some achievements recorded in the education sector in the last seven years.
According to him, through the Transforming of Education in Niger State (TENS) initiative, the government has addressed the critical challenges of infrastructure and other educational services in the State using the Whole School Development Approach which has greatly and positively impacted the capacity of schools to deliver quality and functional education to students across the state.
He assured that despite the challenges of insecurity which has forced them to relocate some study centres to Minna thereby slowing progress in the sector, government will not relent in developing the sector.
“Due to Insecurity, we had to relocate the Dandaudu and Kuta Centres of the Institute after haven put in place state-of-the-art facilities to aid teaching and learning.
“Government will not waver or succumb to the threats of insecurity in it’s quest to put the state on the path of sustainable development in the education sector.
Consequently, the sum of 1 billion naira has been approved for the construction of the Teacher Professional Development Centre known as Legacy Centre at the premises of Government Girls Secondary School (former WTC), Minna, which will commence soon”.
The Governor commended the management and staff of the institute, as well as congratulated the graduands, who already have secured admissions into tertiary institutions in the state.
He added that all the students of the institute were selected one each from the 274 wards of the state as he urged them to reciprocate the gesture of tuition-free education, by giving back to the society the knowledge they have acquired.
The Governor revealed that an endowment board of trustees for the institute would soon be inaugurated to reduce over reliance on government for funding.
The Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Abdullahi Bawa said that the development of quality teachers will make the society a better place to live.
The state Commissioner for Education, Hannatu Salihu Jibrin explained that apart from preparing the students to take-on teaching as a profession, the institute engages in capacity building of serving teachers and quality assurance officers.
Hannatu Jibrin, added that the institute conducted merit-based examinations for the posting of principals and quality assurance officers, graduated 37 serving teachers with professional diplomas in education which qualify them as teachers, as well as graduated 27 students with diplomas in various education programmes.
Earlier, the Chairperson and Chief Executive of the Insititute, Hajiya Dije Jibrin Bala, said that the institute apart from developing serving teachers, it prepares prospective teachers by equipping them with relevant knowledge and skills to serve as quality inputs for Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and Education Degree programmes.
Dije Bala said noted that the 513 students passed all their West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO), NABTEB, and in addition, the prescribed Basic Certificate in Education (BCEE) as awarded by the institute.
She said that the institute has created partnership with other organizations and institutions such as the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, (TRCN), African Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) among others.
Chairperson of the occasion and one time Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Amina Kere Ahmed, TRCN representative Dr. Jacinta Ametepe-Ogboso, and other speakers at the event commended Governor Sani Bello for initiating the project.
There was a paper presentation with the theme, “Re-engineering teacher professionalism and regulations for meeting the needs of the 21st century; The Nigeria Perspective, delivered by Prof. Dalhatu Abdullahi who was represented by Prof. Adamu Aliyu of ABU Zaria.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of prizes to best-performing students for 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 graduands and the presentation of basic principles and practice of education curriculum developed by the institute.
