In furtherance of its concerted efforts to improve the capacity of its teachers in both primary and secondary schools, for effective and efficient service delivery, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Directorate of Education, in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Jos on 6 August 2019, commenced a 3-day capacity development workshop, with the theme, “ Integration of Technology into Teaching and Learning Process for NAF Primary and Secondary School Teachers”.
The workshop would hold simultaneously at ITF Area Offices across 8 Zones including Jos, Enugu, Ibadan, Yola, Port Harcourt, Makurdi, Kaduna and Ikeja from 6 – 8 and 20 – 22 August 2019.
The workshop, which is also designed for Supervisors, Head Teachers, Heads of Departments and Vice Principals of NAF schools, is one of the measures being emplaced by the NAF to enhance the capacity of its teaching staff to further deliver on their mandate in the teaching-learning process.
Speaking during the opening ceremony at the ITF Area Office in Ikeja, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Director of Administration, Headquarters NAF, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Nelson Calmday, noted that the NAF places high premium on human capacity development for enhanced professional performance as evidenced in one of the key drivers of the CAS’ vision.
According to him, the theme for the workshop was carefully chosen because of the NAF’s resolve to digitalize instructional techniques in all its schools and to keep pace with evolving best practices in the field of education.
“It is no gainsaying that NAF Primary and Secondary schools have continued to perform creditably well leading to excellent performance in national examinations as well as the winning of laurels in international competitions in some cases”, he said.
The Representative of the CAS further stated that the workshop was a demonstration of the fact that the NAF Education Specialty, is in tune with global best practices for effective teaching and learning in all NAF schools.
The workshop, he said would not only help to sustain the track record of excellence that NAF schools are known for, but would also serve as a refresher on modern trends in its quest for technology integration in the teaching-learning process.
AVM Calmday, who declared the workshop open, also enjoined participants to interact and create atmosphere of friendship, mutual respect and put into practice, whatever they learn from the workshop to move NAF education system forward.
In his remarks, the Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari, represented by the Director Field Services Department, Mrs Adesola Taiwo, commended the efforts of the CAS in granting the approval for the ITF to conduct the training for teachers of NAF schools across 8 Zones in the country. She stated further that e-learning platforms were built to change how education and learning are administered by teachers and accessed by learners.
According to her, studies have shown that in most schools, the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) resources in teaching and learning is very low. This, she said, was not unconnected with non-inclusion of ICT in the teacher education curriculum.
She noted that the workshop was carefully designed to equip the NAF primary and secondary school teachers with relevant knowledge, skills and attitude required in the application of relevant technology in the dissemination of classroom instructions.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Area Manager, ITF Jos Area Office, Khadija Sani Mudi, disclosed that the workshop was symbolic as it was the first time the ITF would be partnering with the NAF to build capacity of its civilian personnel especially those in the Education Specialty.
The workshop, she said, would be highly engaging, practical and interactive as the participants would be exposed to modern classroom devices and assisted technology, ICT application in school activity and event scheduling.
Other topics that would be covered during the 3-day workshop include computer-based assessment/examination, web-based school management system, use of power point for teaching and learning as well as work ethics, personal effectiveness, team building and team work.
ITF is the foremost training and development organization of the Federal Government of Nigeria saddled with the responsibility of promoting, providing and encouraging the acquisition of skills and competencies in the private and public sectors of the nation’s economy.
Also present at the opening ceremony were the NAF Director of Education, Group Captain Samson Adelakun, as well as other senior NAF Education officers and senior ITF officials.