This was part of the recommendations by TRCN at the end of a
two-day online conference of registered teachers in Nigeria held between August
30 and 31, 2023, with the theme, “Promoting Community of Practise among
Nigerian Teachers for Effective Service Delivery.”
Harping on the importance of knowledge sharing among
Nigerian teachers, TRCN urged tech-savvy teachers to support colleagues who are
technologically backward by teaching them how to deploy basic digital tools in
teaching for effective service delivery.
It therefore called for the establishment of a vibrant
platform for teachers to engage in a community of practice where they can
exchange ideas, share experiences, and learn lessons in order to enhance their
job performance.
Part of the recommendations read: “There should be an
establishment of a vibrant community among teachers where they should embrace
technology and embark on self- and professional development. Teachers should engage
in lifelong learning to remain relevant to learners’ aspirations in a
fast-changing global environment for personal growth and to secure the
integrity of the teaching profession.
“Tech-savvy teachers should support other teachers. A
training hub with a reliable internet connection in rural areas should be
established so that teachers can have access to online information and build
themselves.
“Set up solar-powered energy or other alternative power
sources to ensure uninterrupted power supply. There should be a mobile learning
programme, and a device loan programme should be promoted so that teachers can
buy smartphones and laptops.”
In an interview with one of the participants at the Uyo
viewing centre, Mr Kufre Ita, he thanked the organisers of the conference and
noted that the area of instructional media, which is very important in
achieving educational goals, was not addressed, adding that they would try to
improvise in using it because “it is one of the things that will make learning
easy.”
On her part, Francisca Ezekiel expressed joy for the seminar
but regretted that government has failed to provide a dedicated centre where teachers
can access training.
“The area that bothers me is that, yes, we are encouraged to
be creative and innovative, but government should give us a centre or backup;
for instance, get a centre for us to go for training, not saying go and upgrade
yourself; where will I go? A lot of teachers, especially in rural areas, don’t
even know where to go and upgrade themselves,” she stated.