Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, says training and retraining of teachers across Ondo State would be prioritized by his administration.
Receiving the management of the National Institute for Education Planning and Administration, NIEPA, in his office, Governor Akeredolu said periodic training of teachers would enhance the delivery of quality and functional education in both public primary and secondary schools in the state.
Mr Akeredolu who urged teachers to integrate mother tongues into their
teaching methodologies described education as a vehicle for national growth and development.
He used the occasion to charge the academia in Nigeria to embark on research works that would come up with plausible solutions to current national issues threatening the unity of the country.
“Today, everyone is talking about restructuring, but we are not hearing anything from the academia about the importance of restructuring, it’s impacts, what it will cost and why we should go ahead with it.
“Real paperwork that we can work on, that will guide this nation. I believe that research can assist us ,” the governor said.
The Director General who is also the Chief Executive Officer of NIEPA, Prof. Lilian Salami had earlier said that the institute was ready to collaborate with the State Government on ways of actualising the vision of the present administration in the education sector in view of the fact both share same vision in education development.
The Director General said having identified teachers as drivers of qualitative education, the institute was prepared to train and retrain all education managers at all levels of education in the state.
“We know, once they are empowered, they will be able to deliver effectively to the students.
“What you don’t have, you can not give, so we know that if the educators are adequately empowered to efficiently deliver services, the students will ultimately benefit”, she said.
She identified critical areas of the institute’s mandate to include research, reformation of government education policy for dissemination to the appropriate quarters,in a bid to drive the educational system efficiently and effectively.
She added that having understood the central focus of the State Government on education, NIEPA was resolutely committed to the passion so far demonstrated by the State Governor.
NIEPA was founded in 1992 during the tenure of Professor Babs Fafunwa as Minister of Education and the institute had since then existed in collaboration with the UNESCO and other agencies.