DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS,
EBONYI STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IKWO.
Abstract
The
study makes a case for repositioning teacher training institutions for
effective service delivery as a viable option for transforming education in
Nigeria. The sample of the study comprised 112 staff of the institutions
studied in their different categories.
Three research questions guided the
study while data were collected using an instrument titled “Repositioning
Teacher Training Institutions Questionnaire (RTTIQ)”. Data collected were
analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Conclusion drawn included that
since service delivery in the teacher training institutions is not effective, there
is need to reposition them through application of identified strategies. Amongst
the recommendations made is that government should ensure adequate funding of
the institutions among others.
Key
words: Teacher, training, institutions, service, delivery.
Introduction
The future of any nation depends on
the quality of its teachers. The reason, according to Elimuli (2006), is that
teachers are ultimately responsible for translating educational policies into
practice and programmes into action in the course of their interaction with
learners. The maxims that no education system can rise above the quality of its
teachers and that no nation can rise above the level of its teaching staff
attest to the importance of the teacher. Ohuche (1999) remarked that the
teacher is the pivot of any education institution. There cannot be quality
learning outcomes without competent teachers who are the prime movers of
teaching and learning process.
Quality or competent teachers are
mainly produced from teacher training institutions which are paramount for the
production of professional teachers needed in Nigerian educational system. The Federal
Republic of Nigeria (2004) stated that all teachers in educational institutions
shall be professionally trained and that teacher education programmes shall be
structured to equip teachers for effective performance of their duties. This
implies that teacher training institutions should produce for the nation,
competent teachers who will give Nigerian children quality education especially
as there is presently no alternative substitute for them. As the main determinant
of quality of education, teachers need adequate preparation since they can only
transit what they possess to the learner.
If teachers are apathetic,
uncommitted, uninspired, lazy, unmotivated, immoral and anti-social, the whole
nation is doomed. If they are ignorant in their disciplines and impart wrong
information, they are not only useless, they also portray what the next
generation will be (NERC, 1980). Teacher preparatory institutions are therefore
strategic in any nation especially in Nigeria which, by all indications, is
still far from achieving its teacher education objectives. The goals of teacher
education in Nigeria are to:
Produce
highly motivated, conscientious and efficient classroom teachers for all levels
of our educational system;
Encourage
further the spirit of enquiry and creativity in teachers;
Help
teachers to fit into the social life of the community and society at large and
enhance their commitment to national objectives;
Provide
teachers with the intellectual and professional background adequate for their
assignment and to make them adaptable to any changing situation not only in the
life of their country, but in the wider world; and,
Enhance
teacher’s commitment to the teaching profession (FRN, 2004:39).
The
crux of the matter is that teacher training institutions must be well
positioned to produce desired result in terms of raising for the nation
professional and competent teachers.
For purpose of clarity, a teacher
training institution, according to Odusina (1990), is a training centre where
individuals are groomed to be professional teachers. For Iheagwamu (2008), a teacher
training institution is a formal place where teachers-to-be are given the
required skilled knowledge for the teaching career. In the same line of
thought, Ihebereme (2008) described the teacher training institution as a
specified environment for the purpose of training and producing professional
teachers who are expected to effectively manage the nation’s educational sector.
Okafor (2008) defined the teacher training institution as an organized training
area geared towards production of a crop of required manpower to implement the
planned and developed curriculum of schools. Drawing from the underpinning
assertions in those definitions, a teacher training institution can be seen as
a consciously planned training environment in form of premises built for the
purpose of exposing teacher-trainees to the principles and practice of teaching
that will sufficiently and adequately equip them to play key roles in teaching and learning processes.
Teacher training institutions are
usually recognized as authorized training places for teachers. Ihebereme and
Onwuagboke (2009) maintained that any teacher training programme received
outside the periphery of teacher education institution does not qualify one as
a professional teacher. The Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004:40) recognized
the following as teacher training institutions in Nigeria:
Colleges
of Education;
Faculties
of Education;
Institutes
of Education;
National
Teachers’ Institute;
Schools
of Education in the Polytechnics;
National
Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN);
National
Mathematical Centre (NMC).
The same document stated that the
institutions “shall give the required professional training provided they continuously
meet the required standard”. No wonder Ihebereme, et al (2009) argued that
teacher education institutions devoid of inadequacies, shortcomings or
deficiencies as the case may be, are what are needed if the nation is to
succeed in producing quality teachers for the nation’s school system.
In an effort to lay emphasis on the
functionality of teacher training institutions, Adeyemo and Olorode (2008)
declared that to build a strong house, there must be a solid foundation, and to
build and maintain a strong educational system, there must be an effective
teacher. However, there seems to be teacher training institutions plagued with
lapses and pitfalls in Nigeria today. By all indications, the teacher education
sub-sector in Nigeria has remained consistently traditional in contents, mode
of implementation, evaluation and management structure. The system appears deteriorated
in quality and yearns for repositioning. This is because:
at
this point in Nigeria’s development, when it is hoping to be one of the 20 most
developed economics in the world through vision 2020, it needs a virile, high
quality educational system which can ensure that Nigerians are not just
onlookers but active participants (Ijaiya, 2008:232-233)
Only
a virile and proactive teaching force through an equally vibrant and
transformational teacher education with adequate support system can guarantee
that (Ijaiya, 2008).
In a related view, Anukam (2001)
noted that Nigerians have begun to doubt the performance of their educational
system and maintained that the best way to restore confidence in the system is
to start monitoring its foundation with a view to determining the threatening
factors and offering solutions to such threats. The major threatening factor
cannot be far from the regrets of Ogunyemi (2005) that teacher education
institutions such as colleges of education, university institutes and faculties
of education are given second rate treatment as against those associated with
elite professions like medicine and law, with adverse effects on self image and
occupational prestige of teachers, in training as well as those who train them.
Research (Izumic and Evers, 2002) shows that the quality of classroom teachers
has the greatest impact on the performance level of students. That is why Nigeria’s
present educational system eroded by examination malpractices, cultism,
truancy, drug abuse and academic incompetence should be remedied using teacher
training institutions devoid of inadequacies, deficiencies and surmountable
pitfalls.
The basis of this paper therefore is
to appraise service delivery status of Nigerian teacher training institutions
with a view to suggesting how to reposition them for effective performance for
educational transformation.
Research Questions
The
study was guided by the following research questions.
What is the extent to which teacher training
institutions presently render their various services?
What problems do the institutions encounter in trying
to render effective services?
What strategies can be adopted to reposition the
institutions for effective service delivery?
Method
The descriptive survey design was
adopted for the study. The population comprised the Deans, Heads of
departments, Directors, Senior Management Staff and Senior Administrative Staff
respectively of Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, Institute of
Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Federal College of Education, Okene
and Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo. Available statistics showed 1 Dean,
5 HODS and 10 senior Administrative staff for the university of Uyo; 1 Director,
10 academic staff and 12 senior administrative staff for the institute of
education, university of Nigeria, Nsukka; 5 Deans, 15 HODS and 15 senior
Administrative Staff for Federal College of Education, Okene and 5 Deans, 20
HODS and 13 Senior Management Staff for Ebonyi State College of Education,
Ikwo. Thus, the total sample subjects for the study was 112.
The instrument used for collecting
data for the study was a questionnaire titled “Repositioning Teacher Training
Institutions Questionnaire (RTTIQ)”. It consisted of two parts, A and B. Part A
sought biographic information on the respondents while Part B contained three
sections with 25 items in three clusters, A, B, C. A four – point rating scale
of strongly agree (4 points), agree (3points), disagree (2points) and strongly
disagree (1point) was provided for respondents to make their responses.
The instrument was validated by
three experts in education administration and planning of the Department of Educational
Foundations of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. The observations of the experts
led to the modification of items of the instrument. The instrument was tested
for reliability using cronbach alpha. The Alpha yielded 0.84, 0.81 and 0.76 for
the three sections in Part B respectively which were confirmation that the
instrument was reliable for the study. Through the assistance of four research
assistants, copies of the questionnaire were administered to the institutions.
All the 112 copies of the questionnaire distributed were returned and used for
data analysis. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. An
item that scored 2.5 above was considered a positive response while item that
scored below 2.5 was considered a negative response.
Table one: Extent of service delivery
|
S/No
|
Item
|
 X |
SD
|
|
1
|
Effective
teaching delivery
|
2.49
|
1.03
|
|
2
|
Laboratory
experiences delivery
|
2.27
|
1.06
|
|
3
|
Delivery
of library services
|
2.33
|
1.13
|
|
4
|
Provision
of physical facilities
|
2.19
|
1.04
|
|
5
|
Provision
of other facilities
|
2.22
|
1.07
|
|
6
|
ICT
experiences/services delivery
|
2.13
|
1.36
|
|
7
|
Effective
supervision of students
|
2.25
|
1.04
|
|
8
|
Provision
of entrepreneurial experiences
|
1.94
|
0.90
|
|
9
10
|
Provision
of guidance/counseling services
Provision
of adequate human (personnel) resources
|
2.36
2.44
|
1.16
1.04
|
Results
in table 1 indicate extent of service delivery in the teacher training
institutions. Going by the decision score of 2.5, all the 10 items listed were
not effectively being delivered in the institutions. Service delivery is
therefore low.
Table two: Problems in effective service
Delivery
|
S/No
|
Problem
|
 X |
SD
|
|
1
|
Poor
funding
|
2.81
|
0.96
|
|
2
|
Inadequate
facility/infrastructure
|
2.62
|
1.02
|
|
3
|
Inconsistency
in teacher education policy
|
2.59
|
1.06
|
|
4
|
Cultism/poor
reading culture among students
|
2.65
|
1.06
|
|
5
|
Admission/certificate
racketeering
|
2.63
|
1.07
|
|
6
|
Poor
handling of workers/students welfare
|
2.61
|
1.03
|
|
7
8
|
Inadequate
supervision of students
Unqualified
teaching staff
|
2.54
2.57
|
0.98
0.99
|
Result
in table 2 show that each of the 8 items listed is a problem in service
delivery in teacher training institutions. Item 1 (poor funding) scores the
highest mean of 2.81 followed by item 4 (cultism/poor reading culture among
students) with 2.65. All other items scored 2.5 and above indicating them as
problems militating against effective service delivery in the institutions.
Table Three: Strategies for
Repositioning the Institutions for Effective Service Delivery
|
S/No
|
Strategies
|
X |
SD
|
|
1
|
Adequate
funding of the institutions
|
2.77
|
0.98
|
|
2
|
Provision
of adequate facilities
|
2.65
|
1.01
|
|
3
|
Consistency
in teacher education policy
|
2.56
|
1.02
|
|
4
|
Adequate
supervision of staff and students
|
2.60
|
1.07
|
|
5
|
Recruitment
of only professional teachers
|
2.59
|
1.03
|
|
6
7
|
Adopting
reliable mechanism for dictating certificate forgery/racketeering
Improving
on teachers/students welfare
|
2.58
2.54
|
0.96
0.98
|
Results
in table 3 indicate that the strategies listed are effective for repositioning
teacher training institutions. This is shown by each strategy scoring up to 2.5
adopted as decision score. Strategy number 1 scored the highest with 2.77
followed by strategy number 2 which scored 2.65. It then implies that use of
relevant strategies can help in repositioning the institutions for effective
service.
Discussion
The finding from the research
question one reveals negative response about the extent teacher training
institutions deliver their services. Indeed, there is low or poor service
delivery. The finding collaborates Anukam’s (2001) which noted that Nigerians
had begun to doubt the performance of their teacher training institutions. Yet,
there cannot be a strong educational system without effective teaching force.
This also accounts for the reason Ijaiya (2008) maintained that only a virile
and proactive teaching force through an equally vibrant and transformational
teacher education with adequate support system can guarantee the much desired
educational transformation in Nigeria.
The study also reveals that teacher
training institutions in Nigeria encounter some problems in trying to
effectively discharge their duties. There are problems of poor funding,
inadequate facilities, inadequate supervision of students, and unqualified
teaching staff among others. This is in line with Ogunyemi’s (2005) observations
which noted that teacher educational institutions were given second rate
treatment against those associated with elite professions like medicine and law
resulting in to adverse effects on self image and occupational prestige of teachers
in training as well as those who train them. There problems do not allow for
proper service delivery in the institutions thereby eroding the achievement of
the nation’s educational goals.
The third finding reveals some
strategies necessary for repositioning the institutions for effective service
delivery. These strategies which include adequate funding and provision of
adequate facilities among others would help the institutions provide the
teachers with required professional training. This is urgently necessary as no
institution ridden with pitfalls would effectively deliver required services.
Ihebereme, et al (2009) argued that teacher education institutions devoid of
inadequacies, short comings or deficiencies were needed if the nation was to succeed
in producing quality teachers for our school system. The finding also tallied
with Ezeuwa (2009) which, stated that teacher training institutions should
adopt strategies that would help them to effectively perform their duties.
Conclusion
The
study established that teacher training institutions in Nigeria lack in
effective service delivery in all the operational areas listed. It was
discovered that this is aptly due to identified problems such as poor funding
and inadequate facilities. The study favoured certain strategies as reliable
yardsticks for addressing the problems with a view to repositioning the
institutions for effective service delivery that will lead to the desired
educational transformation in Nigeria.