Abuja- Mr Muhammad Junaid, the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), said the on Tuesday that the organisation would implement the Indigenous Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) modules in schools across the country.
Junaid made this known in Abuja at the capacity building workshop for Pre-Service Teacher Educators of Early Childhood Care and Education in Colleges of Education.
He said the introduction of the ECCE modules in schools would promote a cultural childhood education in the country.
The NCCE boss said that the implementation of the modules in schools would ensure an approach that would be Africa-oriented and affordable to local populations.
He said the workshop was organised following public outcry on the poor quality of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) graduates and their inability to effectively deliver instructions at primary school levels.
He said the workshop was to acquaint the teachers with the rational for the review of the minimum standards and the quality assurance accreditation tool kit.
According to him, the commission has reviewed the NCE minimum standards in line with basic education rules of direct importance to the nation’s education system.
“The NCCE, with support from TETfund, has published and circulated the new NCE minimum standards which it hopes would address some of the noticed challenges in the preparation of teachers for basic education.
“However, the need to address the normal apprehension of every human being about change informed the NCCE’s decision to embark on series of workshops for all implementing stakeholders of the new programme.”
Also speaking, the UNESCO Programme Specialist, Mrs Patience Awopegba, charged the teachers to be dedicated to their job, stressing the need for serious work to bring back the lost value of the Nigerian culture.
Awopegba said teachers needed to be active in the use of indigenous languages in formal education so as to prepare the children for future challenges.
“We are going to be speaking for the millions of voiceless children in Nigeria; these children cannot speak for themselves.
“And because we are their advocates, we are the ones who have taken it upon ourselves professionally to speak on their behalf,’’ she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was organised by NCCE in collaboration with the International Institute for Capacity Building and UNESCO, to boost the value of the Nigerian culture in children.