Quality Teaching and Effective Learning: A Strategic Roadmap for Sustainable Educational Development for Nigeria

Professor Rashid A. AderinoyeExecutive Secretary

National Commission for Nomadic Education, KadunaNomadiconline.org.ng

Paper presented at the Academy of Education conference held at NTI, Kaduna Nov. 2015

Dilapidated Schools

Introduction

It has to be emphasized that education is concerned with the process of transmitting all that is acceptable, good, and worthwhile in any culture such as; knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which support the individual as he strives to survive in the environment where he lives. Thus, the fulcrum of educational process is usually the teacher and learner both adopt and response to varying techniques or strategies to ensure that learning takes place in the learning environment.

It should be noted that the National Policy on Education [2004] considered good teaching and learning environment as sine-qua-non for achieving a desirable and positive outcomes. Based on this consideration, this paper is, therefore, written to address the following: a critical x-ray of the importance of teaching and learning environment in learning achievement; the implications of lack of equipment/ facilities, teachers, and good environment on sustainable learning achievement; and the role of the Nigeria Academy of Education in the advancement of education in Nigeria.

The Relationship Between Education and Development

It is universally believed and accepted that education helps nations and people to grow, develop, and make meaningful and relevant contributions to political, social, cultural, and economic development. Denga, (1999) submitted that “No one can contest the fact that education is a veritable tool for national development”.

The accumulation and advancement of a nation’s human capital, through training and retraining, largely depends on the educational operational structure. Thus, a well articulated and carefully planned educational structure will not only produce high quality human capital but also significantly address the societal problems and challenges.

Education goes much more beyond mere acquisition of knowledge; it enormously involves the utilisation of knowledge acquired for personal and national development. The unemployable phenomenon, often associated with graduates from Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions by some people, arose because of the observable difficulty or inability of some graduates to productively, effectively, and efficiently demonstrate the application or utilisation of knowledge acquired in the world of work.

An Overview of Learning Outcomes and Achievement in Nigeria

The acquisition of knowledge, skills, and values by pupils is usually the yardstick for measuring learning outcomes and achievement.Nigeria, in 1996 and 2003, organised learning achievement tests in three core subject areas, literacy, numeracy, and life skill competencies. The result revealed that learning outcomes were not only falling but were also below expected national standards in primary schools. Reasons for Poor Learning Achievements: Ineffective teaching, Attitude of students and teachers, Poor remuneration of teachers, Lack of qualified teachers, High pupils-teacher ratio, Poor student study skills, Large class population, Poor teaching methods, Insufficient period in the time table, and Teachers ‘‘lack of interest in their jobs”.

Overview Cont..

Situation in Nomadic Schools:The results revealed that conventional schools performed better than nomadic schools. This was attributed to factors such as: Availability, or absence of, teaching and learning facilities and

equipment, Qualified teachers, Utilisation of good instructional materials and infrastructure,

among others. The result of this study corroborated an earlier submission of NCNE [2003] which revealed that over 50% of teachers in nomadic schools are not qualified.

Teachers Quality and Quantity in Learning Achievement

From a reasonable deduction, it can be asserted that the quality and quantity of teachers positively or negatively affect learning achievement of pupils in both conventional public or private schools and non-conventional pastoralists or fishermen schools. The issue of teachers’ quality has remained a central theme in the submissions of most educational scholars and practitioners. For example, Okebukola [1990] reiterated that ineffective teaching and lack of qualified teachers are responsible for poor performances of students in basic science subjects in WASSCE. Nwangu [2007], quoted in Akinsowon [1983], identified qualified teachers as one factor that brings about disparities in the academic performances of students in Federal and State government colleges. Similarly, many teachers, due to inadequate and insufficient number of teachers, are deployed to teach subjects which they do not ordinarily have expertise, competence, or training. Wagbara [2002] stated that conceptual difficulties of teachers in the explanation of certain principles are due to lack of knowledge and skills.

The Monitoring Reports on Nomadic Schools (2005), (2008), (2013), and (2014) revealed that in some of the nomadic schools, there exist only one, two, or three teachers teaching from primary one to primary six. This is an unfortunate situation. One can imagine what percentage of the curriculum can be covered in such circumstance.

Teaching-Learning Materials and Learning Achievement Instructional materials are perceived as ready help to teachers in the classroom interaction process (Wales 1967); as teaching aids that give meaning to words and concepts by bringing out the real meaning (Castle 1969).

The effective utilisation of good facilities and instructional materials promotes high academic achievement. The effectiveness of the teachers in the classroom and the effective comprehension of the subject-matter by pupils are dependents on the availability and utilisation of instructional and textual materials.

The near absence of textual materials and other teaching aids in some nomadic schools, as revealed in the Monitoring Reports earlier cited, is quite pathetic. There is, therefore, the urgent need for all arms of government, especially the federal government, to curtail this trend by allocating a reasonable and commensurable budgetary provision to the National Commission for Nomadic Education for the acquisition

Learning Environment and Learning Achievement Teaching and learning environment can be seen as a total

stimulation from different environmental sources that an individual encounters from conception till death.

Onyemereke [1998] stated that classroom accommodation that is large with adequate furniture properly arranged to allow for free movement as well as a well ventilated and lighted classroom promote efficient learning and management.

Tukur [2003] concluded that availability and adequacy of classroom structures, school furniture, classroom sizes, laboratories and library, play ground or field, teaching-learning materials, and teacher resources positively affect teaching and learning and invariably improve learning achievements.

Nigerian Academy of Education and Sustainable Educational development in Nigeria

The Academy has eight key aims and objectives enshrined in its constitution as follows:

• Serve as a forum for Nigerian educationists at the highest level, whose opinion on education commands professional authority and respect;

• Improve the quality of education throughout the country by taking the initiative to express views on plans, programmes, policy and practice in education;

• Promote the ethics of the teaching profession;• Advise on the minimum entry qualification into the teaching profession;• Promote excellence in education;• Commission studies on educational issues as they affect Nigeria;• Publish an educational journal;• Perform other activities that promote the professional standing of the

Academy.

Conclusion and RecommendationIn conclusion, permit me to suggest that the academy should pay more attention to the following if it is to be accorded a distinguishing respect and recognition especially by all stakeholders in the education sector in Nigeria. They are:

• That teacher, as a major Factor in the teaching and learning process, must not only be adequate in quantity but also in quality.

• Adequate remuneration, along with other incentives, should be considered for teachers • A comprehensive capacity re-orientation programme should be instituted for serving

teachers. Similarly, there should be a review of pre-service training contents for teachers.

• This should be followed by investment in the purchase of vehicles that will be used to monitor the activities of teachers and pupils in schools.

• I plead with this forum to appeal to State governments to have a change of attitude towards accessment of huge funds through the payment of marching grants to UBEC for the purpose of providing adequate infrastructure in our basic schools.

• Also germane is the need for a comprehensive data on status of population in both public and private school.

• We should also consider the removal of dichotomy between Polytechnics and University graduates. The academy is urged to work out the modalities for this removal.

On improving Learning Achievements

Facilities such as reading corners, libraries, laboratories, teaching and learning textual materials should be provided by all arms of government through a special and dedicated budgetary allocation if the overall goals and objectives of the educational system are to be attained.

Government should develop a policy framework, backed with budgetary provision for the continuous training and retraining of teachers in order to enhance their teaching and facilitating capacities.

School administrators should be mandated to adhere strictly to Minimum Standard for school management as provided under the Quality Assurance regulations.

Parents should be advised to limit the involvement of children in domestic activities and ensure that they are given enough opportunity to effectively participate in the teaching and learning process.

Conducive Learning Environment

Appreciations

• To Academy of Education, I say thank you as I hope for a change in our strategies

• To NTI and other Agencies responsible for the hosting God bless you all

• To the Government of Kaduna State under the able and dynamic leadership of our own Excellency El Rufai a BIG thanks.

• Above all to the Federal Government under our World wide acclaimed Disciplined and Transparent PMB. God increase Him in Wisdom to meet the expectations of the World community.

• Thank you all.