Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Monday, called for policy decisions that will elevate Nigeria’s education sector.
Declaring open the 84th Joint Consultative Committee On Education (JCCE) Plenary Meeting, at Asaba, the Governor who was represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, FCA, charged participants at the meeting to “produce policy decisions that will elevate Nigeria to new heights of academic excellence, equity and socio-economic prosperity.
“A well-trained and professional teacher is vital to determining students’ performance and achievement; hence, the Delta State Government established a Teachers Professional Development Centre for regular in-service training in 2016.
“This centre remains functional, and continues to train and support both new and experienced teachers with the data, tools, and knowledge they need for teaching excellence and better student outcomes.
“The JCCE stands as a platform where educational policies are thoroughly deliberated, thoughtfully refined, and strategically aligned with Nigeria’s broader aspirations.
“As we gather here in Delta, let us harness the power of collaboration, innovation, and unity turning challenges into opportunities, and moving our educational system forward,” he said.
The Governor lauded the theme for the forum, “Quality Education Data and
Professionalisation of Teaching: A Tool for Enhanced National Development.” stating that, “one of our major drawbacks as a nation is the absence of data in virtually all sectors of the national economy, yet, without accurate and reliable data, we cannot plan properly, make informed decisions, embark on targeted interventions, and ensure judicious resource allocation for sustainable national development.
“Delivering quality education, which is largely a function of teaching excellence, is almost impossible without robust data collection and analysis, which are critical for problem-solving, informed decision-making, teacher effectiveness, education innovation, and, subsequently, better educational outcomes.
“Data helps governments, educators, school administrators, and regulators to monitor trends, interrogate assumptions, identify areas of need, whether in terms of education infrastructure or professional teacher development progranmmes, and design policies and proqrarnmes in line with our national aspirations.
” It goes without saying that data collection and professionalisation of teaching are two sides of the same coin – professional teacher development programmes empower teachers and educators with the requisite skills and knowledge to analyse and use the data so collected to enhance their performance on the job,
leading to improved student outcomes
“The policy thrust of this administration in the education sector
remains to provide the highest quality education in a safe and supportive environment; our goal is to ensure that our students are given the best possible opportunities to acquire the right tools to be global leaders.
“With strong emphasis on science, vocational and technical education, our focus is on harnessing the power of technology to empower our children with rigorous, high quality, customized education necessary for them to thrive in the global marketplace.”
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Abel Enitan, at the occasion, noted that, by ensuring data-driven policy formulation and encouraging a highly competent teaching workforce, there will be enhanced educational outcomes with remarkable impacts on our human capital development quotient.
While noting that education is the backbone of any progressive society as it empowers individuals, fosters innovation and drives economic growth and development in a sustainable manner, he urged all stakeholders to harness its potential for national development, by focusing on two fundamental pillars: quality education data and professionalisation of teaching.
