The Federal Ministry of Education has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening teacher capacity and ensuring that every child in Nigeria learns in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment, as it deepens collaboration with UNESCO, the Government of Japan and other development partners to advance quality education.
The commitment was reaffirmed in Abuja at a three-day Master Trainers Workshop on Safe Learning Environment, Gender-Responsive Pedagogy and ICT Skills for Educators in Teacher Training Institutions.
The workshop is part of a broader initiative to strengthen teacher training systems and promote continuous, inclusive and quality education for girls across six African countries.
Representing the Minister of State for Education Prof Suwaiba Said Ahmad,the Director of the College of Education, Dr Uchenna Uba, said the Federal Ministry of Education remained firmly committed to ensuring that increased access to education was matched by the protection, inclusion and effective learning of every child.
She said getting children into school must go hand in hand with creating learning environments where they feel safe, respected and supported, noting that teachers were central to achieving this objective.
Uba highlighted the Federal Ministry of Education’s National Policy on Anti-Bullying in Nigerian Schools and its implementation guidelines, stressing that the Ministry was committed to translating these policies into practical action in schools and classrooms.
She said teachers must be equipped to recognise signs of abuse, respond appropriately when learners seek help and create classroom environments that protect the dignity and wellbeing of all learners.
According to her, 45 master trainers from 15 teacher training institutions were being equipped with skills in gender-responsive pedagogy, safe learning environments, prevention and response to school-related gender-based violence, and ICT integration. The trainers are expected to cascade the knowledge acquired to about 500 teachers and educators in their respective institutions.
She urged participants to maximise the use of ICT equipment recently provided to the 15 institutions, including projectors, smart boards and tablets, stressing that technology could only deliver meaningful educational benefits when teachers possessed the capacity to use it effectively.
The Director charged the master trainers to ensure that the knowledge and skills acquired translate into sustained improvements in everyday teaching practice, rather than remain a one off training intervention.
Also speaking, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, Kozaki Hitoshi, said empowering teachers was critical to creating greater opportunities for girls to access quality education and realise their potential.
He said the Government of Japan was supporting the initiative through a project implemented by UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), in collaboration with the African Union and Nigerian partners.
Kozaki said the project focuses on strengthening teacher training institutions and advancing continuous, inclusive and quality education for girls, while noting Japan’s support for ICT equipment provided to 15 teacher training institutions in Nigeria.
The UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Dr Isaías Barreto da Rosa, described the workshop as an important step towards translating investments in ICT equipment into improved teacher preparation and stronger digital learning.
He said assessments conducted under the project identified three priority areas: strengthening teachers’ capacity in gender-responsive pedagogy, creating safe and supportive learning environments, and improving digital competence and ICT integration.
Barreto da Rosa noted that the areas were interconnected, explaining that gender-responsive teachers could promote meaningful participation by girls and boys, while digitally competent teachers could use technology to improve instruction, assessment, learner engagement and continuity of learning.
He urged participants to become multipliers of change by cascading the knowledge and skills acquired to pre-service and in-service teachers within their institutions.
Representing the African Union International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA), Boubakar Yougbare said investment in teachers and teacher training institutions was essential to strengthening Africa’s education systems.
He identified low learning outcomes, school dropout, shortages of qualified teachers, inadequate learning environments and persistent gender disparities among key challenges, compounded by insecurity, climate-related risks and school-related gender-based violence.
Yougbare stressed that a school that is not safe cannot provide meaningful access to quality education, regardless of enrolment figures, and urged the master trainers to ensure that the knowledge acquired reaches teacher training colleges and classrooms across Nigeria.
The Federal Ministry of Education reaffirmed that the success of the initiative would ultimately be measured by its impact on teaching practice and learners, particularly through safer schools, more inclusive classrooms, stronger teacher competence and improved educational outcomes for girls and boys.
The Ministry further pledged to sustain collaboration with UNESCO, Japan, the African Union and other partners in advancing teacher development and building an education system in which every learner can access quality education in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.