The newly established Teachers Continuous Training Institute (TCTI),
in Biase, Cross River State,
which kicked off last year is set to be a leading teacher educational
institution in Nigeria with the capacity to retrain 500,000 Primary and
Secondary School teachers in Nigeria.
TCTI was established by the Cross River State Government
heralding the then Governor Ben Ayade in the year 2020, as part
of efforts to boost teacher education and improve the
quality of teachers in the country.
Pioneer Director-General of the Institute, Professor Taoheed Adedoja,
made this known at the opening ceremony of a 3-day workshop organised
by the Institute for 1400 principals of both public and private
secondary Schools in Cross River State.
The then Deputy Governor of the State, Prof Ivara Ejemot Esu,
who declared the workshop open in Biase, expressed great
satisfaction with the quality of teacher development
efforts of the institute.
”The siting of the institute in Biase local government
has also changed the socio-economic narratives of the
local community,” he said.
The then Deputy Governor, a former minister and former Vice
Chancellor of the University of Calabar further charged
the principals as the custodians of the teaching workforce
to encourage all teachers in the state to fully participate
in the various retraining programmes of the World acclaimed Institute.
In an interview with reporters after the opening ceremony, Prof Adedoja,
an internationally renowned educationist and a former Minister for
Sports and Special Duties further disclosed that TCTI Biase has also
established a mobile workshop and training unit that is fully equipped
for retraining programmes in any urban or rural centres in the country.
“Scores of visitors and international organisations come to TCTI
Biase frequently to appraise our facilities with the state-of-the-art Digital
learning environment required for the 21st-century teacher reskilling initiatives”.
The State Commissioner for Quality Education, Dr Godwin Amanke
during his speech charged teachers in the state to avail themselves
of the opportunities for retraining readily available in TCTI Biase,
while the Head of Service, Mr Timothy Abang Akwaji, announced that
henceforth evidence of attendance of retraining in Biase will be counted
in career progression for Principals and Teachers in the State.
The Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB),
Chief Offu Aya, in his speech, said that SUBEB and TCTI are natural partners
in teacher retraining programmes and that the SUBEB training programme for
teachers will be domiciled in TCTI Biase.
Key stakeholders that presented goodwill messages at the opening
ceremony of the workshop organized in collaboration with the Ministry
of Quality Education were; Hon Mrs Ada Charles Egwu Biase Local Government
council chairperson, Sen Stephen Odey, Commissioner for sports and cinematography,
Comrade Gregory OLayi, Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers Cross River State,
and Dr Noah Ashibi of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.
His HRM. ONun Apostle Nicolas Odum, the Paramont ruler of Biase Local
Government council thanked the then Governor of the State, Prof
Ben Ayade for making the Biase local government community a beneficiary
of the laudable socio economic programme of the state.
Two other phases of the workshops for Principals will be held in Ikom,
for the Central and at Ogoja for the North.
Source: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE