Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state has said that his government would conduct a test to ascertain the skill and competence of teachers in public primary and secondary schools.
Speaking yesterday in Lagos at an event to sensitise teachers on the proposed exercise, Fashola said the assessment would be conducted within the state`s Teachers’ Competency Framework (TCF) and that the “objective is to ensure teachers have the right competence for optimum performance.”
He said quality education would be elusive without teachers with the right skills and competency levels adding that government had consistently demonstrated its commitment to the training and re-training of teachers.
The governor also said his administration had done a lot in the area of improving learning and teaching infrastructure as well as building capacity for teachers.
“We are doing a lot to fix the schools, the classrooms, staff rooms and make the learning environment more conducive; work has not finished but things are improving,” the governor said.
But beautiful schools and classrooms do not teach; it is the teachers with the right professionalism and competence that teach.
“In recognition of this fact, we have committed a lot to the training and retraining of teachers and we are doing more. In fact, if anybody wants to help us now, we will tell them to help in training our teachers,” he added.
Also speaking, the commissioner for education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye said the test would be conducted to ascertain teachers’ skills and competencies and to see if such competencies match their (teachers’) job responsibilities.
“The skills required to teach in a primary school are not the same skills required to teach in a secondary school; so we want our teachers to have the right skills especially information and communication technology skills. We want to ensure that the right people have the right responsibilities,” she added.
