NEWS:

COEASU HOLDS NATIONAL CONFERENCE,
SEEKS GOOD FUTURE FOR TEACHING, TEACHERS

@VONNEWS



The 11th annual national conference of the Southwest Zone of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, held on Thursday at the prestigious Adediran Ogusanya College of Education, Oto, Ijanikin, Lagos, inside the expansive Oluremi Tinubu Hall.


With the theme, "The Future of Teacher Education in a Sustainable World", the conference was well attended by COEASU members, national executives , students and sundry education stakeholders. Select participants took turns to appreciate the local organising committee for doing a great job in packaging the programme and adopting a very good theme that tends to address the urgency of now when the education system of Nigeria needs revival.


The Southwest Zonal Coordinator and National Secretary- General, Comrade Taiwo Olayanju, on behalf of the Zonal Executive Council during an opening speech, thanked the management of the college under the leadership of the Provost, Prof.B.B.Lafiaji Okuneye for ensuring an enabling environment for the academic discourse, eulogising her for her commitment to meeting the yearnings of COEASU members despite other needs of the college.


Olayanju however urged the provost to continue the good works and pledged the support of the Union in facilitating her managerial duties.


Comrade Ige Ajayi took to the podium and described AOCOED as a model institution where teachers and caregivers of basic education are quite professional.


He appreciated everyone who is contributing their quota in the forum which will help promote the interests of press service teachers in the College of Education system, expressing hope that the Lead Paper Presenter and Conferees would discuss the theme and sub- themes of this year's conference adequately for the union to come up with a well- articulated communique for presentation to the government and other stakeholders on suggestions for improving teacher education in Nigeria.


Prof. Yemi Ambrose Akinkiotu of the Lagos State University the keynote speaker while presenting his address paid special tribute to AOCOED- COEASU for successfully putting together a conference with a very relevant theme at this point when teacher education is adversely affected by an avalanche of crisis, stressing that this millennium poses challenges to teacher education and teaching as a profession.


Continuing he emphasised " Good education is the product of good teaching and and theInstruction a classroom depends largely on the quality of teacher and his professional competence.
"A well taught teacher is a viable tool for effective education delivery. A continual education of the teachers should be emphasised in educational planning and its development.
There should be a deliberate attempt by the teacher education sector to establish quality and foster a culture of quality in teacher education.
" Students should be encouraged to use information provided by technology. They should be exposed to school practices such as micro teaching, video taped classroom interaction and so on".


Similarly, Prof. Yemi noted, "In a sustainable world, the development of human resources for sustainable development through teaching , counseling, designing and implementing educational policies and objectives that could ensure sustainability.


' Graduates of colleges of education should be awarded B.ED Degrees considering the qualities of some academic members of staff of some colleges of education, the number of candidates seeking admission into the universities and even private universities also supports the arguments to allow colleges of education award B.ED degrees ".
As part of his contribution, Dr. Victor Akinola of the Dept of Curriculum and Instruction, AOCOED, stressed," Education and instruction follow a progressive teaching transmission which makes a typical teacher to be curious forward- thinking and flexible.
"A teacher must be a learner, learning new ways of teaching and learning alongside the students.


As such, teaching parades a lot of preconception that guides an aspiring teacher, beginning teacher and a typo - teacher.


The act of educating people to become teachers is of vital importance to National Development.


The purpose of teacher education according to the National Policy on Education(NPE, 2013) are; to produce highly motivated, conscientious and efficient classroom teacher for all levels of our educational system;to further encourage the spirit of enquiry a and creativity in teachers;to help teachers fit into the social life of the community and society at large, and to enhance their commitment to national objectives, etc"


Dr.Victor Akinola proceeded to suggest more ways through which the teaching profession can be concurrently improved with the education system of Nigeria.


The well attended conference had different segments, the highlight being the presentation of awards of excellence to deserving tutors for their colossal contributions to nation
building through the strategic development of the nation's human resources.


By Agbonifo Princess