Teachers Internship Scheme: UBEC and Streamlining of Basic Education .
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
The Teachers Internship Scheme (TIS) was conceived to avoid the recurrence of pre and post COVID experiences were learning was suspended as a result of the global pandemic that ravaged the world over with Nigeria not in exception.
The Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC on the drivers seat took advantage of the situation to inculcate technological breakthrough in its curriculum, deploying skills and knowledge of teachers in Basic Education in the country .
Also the need to assist the sub national level to keying into the high technology demand, with Education not left out, particularly in the 21st century occasioned the timely resolution and decision of the current leadership under Dr Hamid Bobboyi to move Basic Education beyond mere analogue, rhetorics and in line with the global realities.
This was against the backdrop of the previous arrangement under the Federal Teachers Scheme (FTS), that was laced with outdated arrangements, hence the enrollment of some professional teachers to undergo in-depth training for two years, with dual advantage of inculcating modest technology driven experience and also to improve Basic Education with equation to global engagements.
With unabated experiences militating against its operations under the artificial and natural occurences, the proactive decisions taken by the commission to avoid recurrence led to the establishment of 37 Smart Schools across the country, that will reduce to the barest minimum the experience of pre and post COVID era.
The debilitating effects of COVID among other unforseen circumstances led to the decision to design a laudable program to support state governments in line with the emergence of new crop of teachers at that level, who are possessed with the skills and knowledge to excel digital age and deploy Smart Education.
The commission using multiple approach also decided to introduce the Teachers Internship Scheme (TIS) to nip in the bud the dearth of teachers and need to reorient the existing ones across the country.
This was followed by the establishment of Resource Centres to cater and train the school personnel deployed for capacity building in line with the rules of engagement, in collaboration with KOICA, a major global sponsor of technology driven projects under a multi million running into $10.4M arrangements.
Since Information and Communication Technology has become the order of the day world over, capable of enhancing teaching and learning at Basic Education level , since the new order that is in vogue cannot be overlooked.
The two years internship organised by the commission for Education graduates who are expected to undergo training will transform not only teachers of new breed with high tech skills and knowledge , harness power of technology, and will inturn transform learning outcomes/ expectations.
Conversely, the new breed of teachers deployed for Nigeria’s Basic Education programs will not have inculcated a Smart Teachers experience and exposure alone, but becomes innovators with catalyst for changes and modernisation, as well as architect of a brighter future for the Nigeria child and a reformed teaching profession.
Aside transforming the Basic Education with the new internship program, the impact of technology on every aspect of Education will become sancrosanct, with detachment of traditional mode no longer viable, as this will also guarantee adequate preparation for future challenges and opportunities.
The new era of global competitiveness across the world that is modest with the establishment of Smart Schools in conjunction with State Universal Basic Education Board SUBEB across the state and the FCT, will be capable of streamlining not only capacity building, but digital content that included Maths and Science Education.
This new arrangement, no doubt will prepare and project Basic Education in Nigeria as an alternative to both pre and post COVID era, with intermittent lockdowns across the globe with grave consequences on the country.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com