Niger state Govt. UNICEF trains 500 teachers to boost access to education
Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in partnership with UNICEF, has trained 500 teachers to enhance access to learning for underserved and disadvantaged children in the state.
The three-day training was for teachers drawn from Munya, Shiroro and Suleja local government areas on Nigerians Learning Passport blended learning.
Mr Bala Dada, Education Officer, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, disclosed plans to register, enroll and provide courses for 50,000 children on the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) platform.
He added that the training of the 500 was to equipped them with knowledge and skills to utilise the NLP platform for learning and learner enrollment.
Dada noted that investing in teacher’s capacity would sustain educational access in hard-to-reach and secure areas.
“Trained teachers will leverage blended approaches to extend learning to displaced and vulnerable learners,” he said.
He said the initiative aimed to improve access to education for disadvantage children, promote learning continuity in crisis-prone areas.
Also speaking, Malam Farouk Mashegue, UNICEF Focal Person in Niger state Ministry for Basic and Secondary Education, said the training was as a result of a recent report uneviled during a dissemination meeting on the impact of insecurity on education in the state.
He said the report recommended the need to enchace teacher capacity to address challenges of access to education, retention and quality learning.
Mashegue said the teachers were trained to deliver blended learning via NLP platform and enrolment process, digital literacy skills in basic ICT, mobile apps and data entry.
He said they were also trained on psychosocial support and inclusive teaching in crisis-prone communities, record management and monitoring systems in addition to strategic assignment of teachers to local government areas.
