Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), has advised teachers in Nigeria to embrace technology and embark on self development in order to be in tandem with the emerging global technology.

This was part of the recommendations by TRCN at the end of a two-day online conference of registered teachers in Nigeria that held on August 30 to 31, 2023 with the theme: “Promoting Community of Practice 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 lessons learned in order to enhance their job performance.

Part of the recommendations read: “there should be an establishment of vibrant community among teachers where they should embrace technology and embark on self, professional development.

“Teachers should engage in lifelong learning to remain relevant to learners’ aspiration in a fast changing global environment for personal growth and secure the integrity of the teaching profession. Tech savvy teachers should support other teachers. A training hub with 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 and a device loan programme should be promoted so that teachers can buy smart phones and laptops,” he said.

In an interview with one of the participants at the Uyo viewing centre, Mr Kufre Ita, thanked the organizers of the conference and noted that the area of instructional media which is very important in achieving educational goal 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 (PhD) expressed joy for the seminar but regretted that the 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 the 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 the rural areas, don’t even know where to go and upgrade themselves,” she stated.

The 2023 TRCN online conference was the third edition supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and some other agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education. (Nigerian Tribune)

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