Embrace New Techniques Of Teaching; Education Secretary Tasks School Principals
By: Hauwa Mahmud Madugu
School principals across the country have been tasked to embrace new techniques of teaching in conformity to global trends.
The Mandate Secretary, Education Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Danlami Hayyo, gave this challenge at the 2024 British Council /Cambridge International Principal’s Forum, held in Abuja.
His words:”I wish to charge Principals to shun linear learning and embrace the Evolving Global Landscape ( EGL), in teaching and learning.”
Hayyo said the focus of teacher training should be the emerging trends of creativity, creative thinking, collaboration, and communication, because the conservative impression of education as a fixed, linear process no longer suffices.
He commended the efforts of the National Educational Research and Development Council ( NERDC ), on reviewing the National Policy on Education ( NPE ), six times from 1977 to 2013, but reminded them that there was the need for systematic realignment.
The Secretary explained that “In the process of realignment, teacher training process should be more proactive and lifelong. Education and teacher training should be diversified to cover the technical aspects of teaching.”
Hayyo added that teacher training should be streamlined towards the 21st century skills, understanding emerging behavioral patterns and engaging in lifelong learning.
The Secretary stated that the 21st century offers serious challenges to the dominant 20th century education policies, hence the need for schools to roll up their sleeves and step up to emerging trends .
He said having depended on intellectual abilities as the centre of all knowledge, assessment, placement, and career opportunities for decades, teachers are now faced with a challenging unpredictable future to work; noting that the lightning speed at which knowledge expires as well as depreciating students’ attention span due to declining symmetry between the content of instruction and opportunities for real-life application needs to be addressed.
Hayyo advised policy makers and stakeholders to tailor teacher training and development towards the 21st century skills, positively responding to technological, medical, scientific, psychological innovations, and lifelong learning .
