By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
The Director and CEO of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Professor Musa Gatba Maitafsir has assured of the Institute’s responsive commitment to ensuring the execution of its primary mandate of producing quality, better, responsible and modern-oriented teachers in the country.
He noted that standards and excellence were only achievable with quality teacher services to drive the fortunes in the education sector.
Maitafsir made the remarks on Friday in Maiduguri, Borno State, at the closing of a training for 250 teachers from Marte, Monguno and Nganzai local governments.
This is contained in a statement issued and made available to reporters by the Public Relations Officer of the Institute, Alhaji Yusha’u Muhammad.
The training with the theme: ” Efficient Record Management and Electronic Documentation”, was conducted between October 18 and 22.
The Director commended the Member of the House of Representatives,Alhaji Mohammed Tahir Monguno ( APC- Monguno/Marte/Nganzai), for sponsoring the training.
” The MP has shown commitment to promote teacher education in his constituency, despite the vulnerability of the communities, which were plagued by insurgency.
‘’ I am really overwhelmed to see what I have seen, to hear what I heard and appreciate what is going to be delivered”, Maitafsir acknowledged.
Maitafsir further observed that participants at the training really benefited from the gesture, noting that, was part of the dividends of democracy in the state.
He urged the teachers to reciprocate the invaluable gesture, “in their own ways.”
The Director pointed out that” The main objective of the training is to reiterate the importance of documentation and record keeping in schools.
” It is also aimed at developing the skills and competency of school teachers to efficiently document and keep records of various documents according to world standard practice,” Maitafsir, added.
At the end of the training, the 250 teachers got N50,000 each as allowances and 50 of the teachers went home with Laptop Computers.
The training, which was organised by the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, was a collaboration with Maiwada Global Concepts Limited, as Consultant, under strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols.
In the same vein, during the visit, Maitafsir addressed the Institute’s students in one of its Distance Learning Centres, Arabic Teachers College, Maiduguri, Borno State, shortly before the commencement of the First Semester Examinations.
The visit was part of his nationwide monitoring exercise of the on-going First Semester 2021 Examinations for the programmes of the Institute.
While in Maiduguri, Maitafsir paid an unscheduled visit to some centres in the state, to assess the development, as well as the proper conduct of the examinations.
The examinations, which commenced on Friday,were part of the nationwide exercise for the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE), and Bachelor Degree programmes (BDps).
Others are: Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), as well as Advanced Diplomas programmes and Pivotal Teacher Training Programme (PTTP).
While at the Arabic Teachers’ College Maiduguri, Maitafsir said,” what i have seen from the teachers is that they are motivated.
” The teachers, who are mostly products of Grade II , have been teaching for long.
‘’ You are teaching just to occupy space, it is now you are going to be professional teachers.
” You are in the process of becoming professional teachers, ‘’ he said.
The NTI boss added that, teaching is a technique that, ” if someone does not have it, cannot successfully do it.
Sequel to an interactive session with the students-teachers, Maitafsir emphasised on the rules and regulations guiding examinations at the Institute.
He warned:” The Institute will not compromise on the quality it has set for itself now. “
