The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has stressed the need for public and private Colleges of Education in Nigeria, to comply with the minimum standards set for their operation, in order to meet the requirements needed for full accreditation of their courses.
This advice was given by officials of the Commission, in a paper delivered at a 3-day sensitization workshop, on the 2012 edition of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) Minimum Standards, and the use of Quality Assurance Toolkits for institutional assessment, held for staff of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo, between Monday April 3 and Thursday April 6, 2017 in the institution.
Speaking on the topic entitled: ‘’ Reforming Pre-Service Teacher Education: Rationale and implications,’’ contained in a sensitization workshop packaged inside thenew NCE Curriculum, College Re-structuring and Use of Quality Assurance Toolkit for Institutional Self-Assessment, the team leader of the NCCE officials from Abuja, Mr. Chukwuma Ugwuanyi, explained that the restructuring exercise embarked upon by the Commission, was targeted at addressing crisis affecting teacher education in the country.
He listed some of the crisis to include poor quality of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) graduates, abysmal performance of pupils in public examination, mounting public outcry on the quality of NCE graduates and inappropriate NCE syllabus.
Others are inability to fashion out systematic approach at matching teachers demand and supply, lack of linkages and partnership between Colleges of Education and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) among others.
While commending the Federal Government for the introduction of reforms in the education sector, and the implementation of National Teacher Education Policy (NITEP), Ugwuanyi said the move was aimed at producing specialist teachers for basic education, which include Early Childhood Care, Primary and Junior Secondary Schools (JSS).
On the issue of accreditation, the NCCE senior official listed five key areas where the Commission would focus in its assessment, to include Leadership, Management and Organisation, Curriculum Organisation and Implementation, Infrastructural and Learning Resources as well as Assessment and Evaluation and Student Support and Progression.
While emphasizing the need for Colleges of Education to achieve minimum standards of satisfactory inthe two key areas of Leadership, Management and Organisation as well as Curriculum Organisation and Implementation, he warned that failure to do so in any of them, could lead to denial of accreditation.
In addition, he also stated that failure to achieve the same in the remaining key areas would lead to interim accreditation.
Also speaking on a paper entitled: ‘’Structure, Content and Methodology of the New NCE Curriculum: A general Overview, another staff of the NCCE, Mr. R.A Badmus, identified student enrollment as one of the greatest challenge facing Colleges of Education, and stated that the new Minimum Standards introduced by the NCCE, was geared towards making NCE graduates become professionals and specialists in various areas which include Early childhood Care Education ( ECCE), Primary Education, Junior Secondary School Education as well as Adult and Non-formal Education and Special Needs Education.
On ways by which the new school curriculum could be successfully implemented, the NCCE official advocated the need for teachers to shift emphasis from teaching to learning by allowing learners to do more of the teaching, and helping in the preparation of instructional materials, that could promote effective learning.
In his own paper presentation on action required for effective service delivery by Quality Assurance Unit in Colleges of Education, another resource person from the NCCE, Mr. Ayoade Ajao, stressed the need for head of the unit to carry out needs assessment and provide training opportunity for staff of the College.
Other functions listed include studying and understanding of tool kits, involvement of all stakeholders, development of additional assessment instrument, production of teaching attendant template, peer-in-class assessment form, graduate destination survey form as well as Employers and Alumni feedback form among others.
Earlier In his address of welcome, the Provost of the College, Prof. Olukoya Ogen, described the workshop as very important and lauded the NCCE for the initiative.
Prof. Ogen, however, advised staff of the College participating in the workshop, to be attentive, and give cooperation to the resource persons, in order to achieve the purpose for which it was organized.
Similarly, the Head, Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance in the College, Dr. (Mrs) Folasade Ireti Alao, explained that the workshop was organized in preparation for full accreditation of courses offered in the College by the NCCEand enjoined participants to make judicious use of the sensitization programme.
The workshop held at the Centre for Educational Technology building featured presentation of papers in various topics which include Curriculum framework as Guide for programme, Pre-Service Teacher Standards, 2012 Curriculum and its implication for staff development, Teaching Practice Supervisor Toolkit as well as Overview of Quality Assurance Toolkit, practical work on calculation of grades, Self Assessment Preparatory to Accreditation among others.
Eminent personalities who attended the programme include the Deputy Provost, Dr. Samuel Akintunde; Representative of College Registrar, Mr. Felix Eniola Aderinboye, Mrs. Olufisayo Fakorede; Bursar, Mr. Ganiyu Abdul and Acting Librarian, Mr. Akinade Awoyemi.
Others were Deans and Directors, Heads of Department and Units, members of the Academic staff as well as staff from the College Information and Public Relations Unit and Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance to mention but few.