The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Nigeria, in partnership with PLAN International, called for improved teacher welfare and continuous professional development to enhance the quality of education in Adamawa.
Ibrahim Bello, programme officer of FAWE Nigeria, made the call on Tuesday in Yola during a policy advocacy dialogue on teacher development and welfare, organised under the Building Resilient Education Systems Project.
Mr Bello said the project, funded by Expertise France, sought to strengthen teachers’ professional development and well-being in crisis-affected states, particularly Adamawa and Sokoto, through policy engagement and institutional support initiatives.
According to him, participants included officials from the Ministry of Education, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, the Nigeria Union of Teachers and civil society organisations committed to education sector reform.
He said the dialogue reviewed the National Teacher Policy, focusing on recruitment, deployment, promotion, professional development and career progression, while examining challenges affecting implementation in schools and education institutions.
According to Mr Bello, stakeholders also examined opportunities to advance female teachers’ careers and assessed policy provisions against realities on the ground to identify gaps that undermine teacher effectiveness and motivation.
“We are discussing issues relating to teacher recruitment, deployment, promotion and continuous professional development.
“We identified teacher shortages, inadequate support for rural teachers and poor attention to teachers’ wellbeing and welfare as major challenges,” he said.
Mr Bello said recommendations from the dialogue would be compiled into a communiqué for engagement with the government and relevant stakeholders, and urged sustained collaboration to address challenges affecting teachers and education.
Usman Dadah, executive director of Dadah Foundation for Educational Empowerment, said civil society organisations continued to complement government efforts to improve educational development and strengthen learning outcomes nationwide.
“The nation cannot grow without effective teaching, and effective teaching depends on competent, motivated and well-supported teachers,” he said, stressing the need for collective action to improve teacher productivity and professionalism.
Edwin Omoraka, former vice chairman of the NUT Yola North Branch, commended the organisers for providing a platform to discuss teacher welfare, motivation and professional development in the state.
Mr Omoraka expressed optimism that implementing the dialogue’s recommendations would help the government address challenges facing teachers, improve educational outcomes, and strengthen the teaching profession across Adamawa.
(NAN)
