Rivers State Calls for Partnership with IAUE in Teacher Education

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Rivers State Government Calls for Partnership with Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) in Teacher Education for Professional Development of Student Teachers in order to Meet Global Standard in Teacher's Education.

The government of Rivers State has called for effective collaboration with Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt in the professional development of student teachers in order to meet the global demand in teacher education.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Dagogo Adonye Hart, made this call at the university auditorium in an address he presented at the 5TH annual conference on education, which had Teacher Education: Meeting Global Needs, as its theme.

Represented by the Director of Secondary Education, Sokari Davies, the permanent secretary described teacher education as very crucial in imparting knowledge, values and morals which help learners to acquire competent skills that equip them to tackle challenges in life.

Noting that teachers are character molders, he said that his ministry was concerned more with the qualities of graduates that are sent out to face their contemporaries in the very competitive global labour market.

Observing that professional development can only be said to have taken place if it helps to improve teachers instructional skills or causes education administrators to become more efficient, Mr. Hart explained that it is when this is achieved that the massive investment the state government is making in meeting the demands of education could be justified.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Ozo-mekuri Ndimele, has reaffirmed that the institution is irrevocably committed to delivering on its mandate of producing the requisite human capital that would drive sustainable national development.

Represented by the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Lysias Gilbert, he said that the theme of the conference was apt because of the current stride by government at all levels to reposition the education system to meet global competitiveness.

Professor Ndimele hinted that the university has put in place mechanisms to internationalise its programmes and services in order to fit into the emerging and competitive global knowledge economy, while adhering to best global standards.

To achieve this, the VC disclosed that the institution has signed some pact with some foreign universities for exchange and partnership programmes and redesigned its curricula to meet the demands of the 21st century.

It has also built state-of-the-art classrooms for graduate and undergraduate students, just as all the forty-six undergraduate programmes are fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He further disclosed that in realization of the role of digital technology in the universitys drive towards academic delivery, it has commissioned a 300 seating capacity functional ICT complex, while plans are on to link all the faculties to internet network to fully commence digitization programme in the institution.

In his address, the Dean of Faculty of Education, Professor Vincent Asuru, said that the theme was timely, given the urgent need to reinvent Nigerias education system, especially teacher education, in line with the demands of extant knowledge economy.

Because of societal dynamism which is propelled by globalization, Professor Asuru hinted that the role of the teacher has become more complex as he or she has to be equipped with requisite modern skills to enable the training of students that could fit into the 21st century.

Similarly, chairman of the conference committee, Dr Edward Adiele, noted that the theme was chosen because of the importance attached to teacher education and teacher professional development as a key to national development.