By Kudirat Musa
Abuja – The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has commended the Federal Government and the NUT in developing polices and curriculum on Early Child Education in the country.
Mr Nasir Idris, the NUJ, National President, made this known in a statement by Mr Emmanuel Hwande, the Press and Public Relations officer of the body on Wednesday in Abuja.
He also commended all the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education for partnering with the union.
Idris reiterated the importance of providing the school child with an early foundation and formation in life.
“The school education of a child must be focused on social, mental, physical aspects and overall development.
“If all these are well taken care of, it will contribute immensely to the development of the young minds as they step into adulthood.’’
Idris called for the need to strengthen the capacity of early child educators to conform to international best practice for a holistic and functional development of the school child.
”The capacity of teachers to deliver cannot be achieved using contingency approach such as the N- Power scheme of the Federal Government but a full term employment of qualified teachers.
“The trained, competent and committed personnel in the education sector most, especially as it affects the early child development component must be provided,” he said.
Ms Jonna Jul-Gudyundsen, the Chairperson, Danish Union of Early Childhood and Youth Educators (BUPL), also expressed delight over the sustained interest of the NUT in early child development.
She said the NUT partnership with BUPL had positively impacted on teachers, adding that the pupils were also learning through.
She said that their recent workshop was aimed to share knowledge and experience between Denmark and Nigerian teachers.
BUPL boss further said that the participants were exposed to new ways to play with kids, which must be ongoing activities in schools for children in their early stages of development.
Mrs Osighala Dorothy, the Assistant Director, Basic and Secondary Education praised the NUT for its consistency in the promotion of early child education and development in the country.
She described the partnership as consolidating on the strides of the Federal Government in the area of early child cognitive development.
She said the ministry was interested in the benefits of the NUT–BUPL partnership.
She said that the ministry was disposed to adopting the gains of the partnership to be integrated in future government policies on early child care and development.
