Experts in the education sector have stressed the need to improve teachers’ English Language skills with modern teaching Methodologies for effective communication with students.
They stated this in Abuja at a workshop on Strengthening Teachers English Proficiency, STEP Dissemination organized by the British Council in Nigeria.
The STEP initiative is to equip teachers with the necessary language skills and modern teaching methodologies to inspire and guide learners.
It is designed to enhance proficiency of teachers and teacher educators by equipping them with key classroom English and Digital skills, thereby improving the quality of English language instruction and ultimately enhancing the overall education system.
The Director, Teachers Development of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Mr. Olumayowa Aleshi said the Commission was strengthening collaboration with the British Council to train teachers across the country on the STEP initiative.
‘’Strengthening Teachers’ English Proficiency Programme STEP is one of the programmes run by the British Council and the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC is reawakening its collaboration with the British Council through this programme, we were collaborating before, but it went down for some time, now we are back, with this STEP programme, we collaborated with the British Council to train for master’s trainers per state in preparation for a cascade to teachers in the classrooms so we have four master trainers multiply by 37, so these master trainers are going back to the state to train at least 100 teachers per state’’, he said.
A lead Facilitator of the STEP initiative, Dr. Philip John explained that Teachers who participated in the STEP progrmme have been able to plan and deliver their lessons better.
According to Dr John ‘’ from the impact story we have received, many teachers said the STEP training have made them to plan their lessons better, not just plan their lessons better but they deliver their lessons better making a paradigm shift from teacher centre teaching to learner centre teaching. So in this day, any teacher who attends STEP training actually would be able to engage learners more in the classroom, making them do practical activities that they would remember instead of doing the talking and the learners are not able to participate’’
The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE, Prof Paulinus Okwelle said STEP value goes beyond promoting the quality of English language teaching and learning, leveraging ICT and Digital technology to supporting and sustaining teaching and learning activities.
