FCTA partners Korean govt on school projects

By Abdullahi Muhammad

Korea Model School is a cutting edge secondary school model being developed in partnership with the FCT Administration that would soon commence operation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, disclosed this at the weekend while declaring open a 21-day Th ird Level Workshop ICT-based model education for teachers of the Nigeria/Korea Model School. He said education was the key that translated the Korean economy from the ashes of civil war to an economic giant, adding that the collaboration would replicate that development in Nigeria.

Th e minister charged teachers benefi tting from the training to live up to the expectation of government by leveraging their experience to set standards that would uplift the quality of education to greater heights. He said “after the environment and quality of instructional materials, another most important

determinant of quality of education is the teaching faculty.” He also espoused the need for internal motivation among the teachers, without which whatever was done would not yield the needed result. He therefore, implored the resource persons to also lay some emphasis on these values in the course of the fi ve-week presentations. Speaking earlier, the Ambassador of Korea to Nigeria, HE Noh Kyuduk expressed hope that Nigeria would become the number one economy in Africa from what he had seen since his arrival in Nigeria three years ago. He recalled that 15 teachers had also been trained in Korea towards this purpose noting that “Korea’s economic and social miracles could not have been achieved without dedicated teachers.” Unfolding the plan for the school, the Country Director of KOICA, Mrs. Sook Hyun Park, disclosed that the project comprised four major components, namely; architectural design and 24 classroom blocks – for primary school and 15 classrooms of junior secondary.

“Part two entails the provision of equipment and materials necessary for the project; the third is the dispatch of Korean experts to Nigeria to conduct managerial activities and technical advice. Th e last is where the project is at currently, involves capacity development programmes in Korea and Nigeria, essentially the training of teachers principals and stakeholders.” Also speaking, the Acting Secretary, Department of Education, Mrs. Justina Maimagani, revealed that beside the teachers for the model Nigeria/ Korea School, KOICA had also graciously accepted to train 150 teachers from various schools across the FCT on ICT-based instruction delivery.

She urged the teachers to see themselves as privileged and to make judicious use of the opportunity, while underscoring the commitment of the Education Secretariat to continue to work assiduously to ensure the successful take-off of the school. She noted that the model school system was made possible by a grant of $15 million from the government of Korea. FCT Administration also has undertaken to build the senior secondary school phase upon the completion of the basic education phase.

 

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