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KonkNaija Media | May 2, 2016

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NCE education not bad as as second choice – Omoegun

NCE education not bad as as second choice – Omoegun

| On 19, Feb 2015

- Daily Independent

With the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) approaching, the rush for university education and its limited carrying capacity has always left many candidates on the sidelines over the years. But many consider the National Certificate of Education (NCE) not to be a viable alternative to realising their ambition of tertiary education. In this interview with CORRESPONDENT, Oyeniran Apata, Professor Mopelola Omoegun, former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos (UNILAG), speaks on the dwindling interests of students in teacher training education among others affecting learning at the NCE level. Excerpts.

There has been a decline in students’ enrolment in teacher training education in the rush for university degrees. Why is this so?

Remember this is the first level of teacher education for the award of National Certificate in Education (NCE) certificate. That has been the trend because many students don’t want to read education even in universities and especially at the NCE level. Parents too cannot be completely free of this allegation of not wanting their children to enroll for NCE programmes.

Am surprised because this is the same level I passed through as an NCE graduate and always happy having being thoroughly groomed by the process that had made me to become a polished teacher.

In view of this development, will it be right to conclude that teacher training institutions are training unwilling teachers?

Professor Mopelola Omoegun

Professor Mopelola Omoegun

It is unfortunate, but I won’t say the system is training unwilling teachers. But the issue is that some of them are not willing to go through the NCE since the university is also an alternative to gain admission into the system to study education.

Indirectly, some of them are unwilling because they considered education at Colleges of Education as a last resort since they could not make enough points to guarantee admission into the university.

They are not really happy. The choice of NCE education as a second option in tertiary education is not a bad choice. That is a challenge for the system to resolve.

If that is the situation why are candidates with less qualification whose quality will eventually rub-off on learning are being dumped for NCE programmes?

I disagree that students admitted for NCE programmes were dumped. No. In the form sold by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) there are opportunities for candidates to make a choice for polytechnics and colleges of education as alternative to their universities of choice. Candidates have a choice that the system has been placed on them. They were not being forced into NCE by anyone because of the dynamism of the admission process that if a given candidate fails to make his or her first choice, the second option is also as good as the first choice to realise ones aspirations.

This will not in any way affect the quality of products trained by the NCE system because many of the students have now realised that they can still gain admissions into the university system in pursuit of their educational aspirations.

For instance, at the completion of a three year programme, they can be enrolled for direct entry to further their education in UNILAG for two years which is good. Students enrolled for NCE programme should be happier. With good counseling, orientation, and proper mindset, NCE students should be happier as they are being exposed to the basic platform of teacher training education.

What then should be the proper mindset for NCE students?

They should realise that there is a robust future for them with the professionalisation of the teaching profession. There are lots of scholarship opportunities for serious students to take advantage of and get good education. One of such at FCET, Akoka is the African Development Bank (ADB) initiative of N100, 000 supports for any student that scored 3.5 to 4 points CGPA. They shouldn’t consider their admission as second rated because there are avenues to further learning with NCE certificates.

The reward system in the teaching profession has been described as poor. Is this why many NCE graduates have refused to take up teaching appointments?

It is part of it and the other constraint is the low prestige of being a teacher. Things are getting better and there is no reason for anyone to regret being a professional teacher. I am an NCE holder and I also remain a teacher having started as a grade II teacher. Later, I obtained a degree and now I am a professor of education. Any teacher who is dedicated will obviously reap his/her rewards here on earth. Many of the teachers in FCET, Akoka were my students who passed through me and I feel fulfilled that people I have trained as teachers are also imparting knowledge to the younger ones even at a higher capacity.

This is my reward.

What is your take on the removal of history from the secondary school curriculum?

Efforts are on to revive the study of history. Take for instance at the university level students are now made to study history and strategic studies to motivate them to register for the course. It is very unfortunate that history is no longer taught in schools. This is because we can’t do without history for it is important for children to know their past.

They are now laying more emphasis on civic, social studies, and geography. People who are in that field must ensure history is reintroduced into the secondary school curriculum so that our children can learn from the rich history of the country. We want science and technology for growth but we must not forget that we must learn from history.

Does this translate to non-inclusion of someone like you who reason along this line in the formulation and drafting of the essential curriculum?

Not all. I was invited and I remembered having made a case for its reintroduction in the curriculum. They should draft the right people into curriculum drafting committee so that they can push for what they believe in.

Given an opportunity to head the curriculum drafting committee, will you bring back the subject?

Yes. I will do that because I believe there is need for it. We can’t do away with our history as an important aspect of development.