No fewer than 350 teachers and principals in Lagos were among the first batch of those being trained by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
With this large figure, experts say the nation may soon witness a significant improvement in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
The three-day capacity building, which kicked off at the Events Centre, Ikeja on Monday last week, is aimed at enhancing the skills of secondary school teachers, who are expected to impact their students, Head, WAEC National Office, Mr Charles Eguridu, said.
“The council has deemed it necessary to make this training programme available to all teachers in the federation, in response to the perceived dwindling educational standard in the country and as part of its corporate social responsibility. The council believes that a better informed and equipped teaching force would greatly improve the quality of teaching and learning which will have positive impact on the educational development of the nation,” Eguridu added.
On the objective of the training, Eguridu said the examination body was worried each time it announced results and there was a drop in statistics.
“So, we asked ourselves what the problem was and what could be done,” Eguridu further explained.
He continued: “What do we do if the succeeding generation after us will come and not be able to carry the responsibility of moving the nation forward in terms of education? We did a research and discovered that there is a general decline in the quality of teaching and learning in schools; so we decided that teachers should be trained.”
He reminded teachers of their role as change agents, admonishing them to be attentive. He warned that should they be lacking the right skills and competences to teach, the children will not be well equipped to write exams.
The state Commissioner for Education Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, underscored career development, which the trainees can apply in situations, such as decision making, creative thinking and human resource management.
She said the importance of the programme could not be over emphasised, noting that well- trained teachers are the catalysts for breeding future leaders who are academically sound and are role models with an enterprise spirit needed for a sustainable and competitive national economy.
Mrs Oladunjoye, who represented Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, at the event, also said: “The training is necessary because it will make us have sound teachers who can be role.”
The Chairman, Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Lagos State House Abdul-Wahab Alawiye-King hopes the collaboration would achieve its aims.
Alawiye-King implored the teachers to continue to give back to the children.
“We are a part of this programme. It is a new way of teaching and learning. Sharpening the skills of the teachers in order to bring positive results for the teachers at the end of the day,” he said.