It has become common
\nof late to hear people complain of fallen standard of education in our country.\u00a0 Their worries no doubt, may not be unconnected with the poor yearly output of our tertiary institutions of learning.
\nSurprisingly, these same (tertiary institutions) citadel of knowledge as were hitherto called had been the sole platform through which the nobility of our founding fathers were cooked, baked and sampled for societal good.
\nThen it was very difficult to fault any product of these noble institutions because, like gold, every product of the university or any equivalent institution of learning, was believed to have passed through fire, haven satisfied every requirement to be adjudged noble.
\nThis I believe accounted for the euphoria that accompanied every graduation of students from the institution to the world, haven also been certified worthy in learning and in character by the institution.
\nLike the proverbial proof of the pudding that lies in the eating, every contact and encounter with any output (graduate) of these institutions of learning attested to the fact that the role of education and the teacher as being to imprint in the child a number of social and intellectual states required by society for stability and progress was achieved.
\nHowever, while the society is always in a hurry to blame her educational woes on the citadel of knowledge, is it really fair enough in its judgement? Could a child be well groomed at the foundational stage only to deviate without reservation at the tertiary level?
\nFor me, blaming the universities for the fallen standard of education in Nigeria is like knocking the head for the sin of the anus, even though the universities do have their own portion of blame.
\nAccording to Professor Benjamin A. Eheazu of the Federal Normadic Education Centre, in a lecture presented at the first faculty-wide induction of first degrees and PGDE graduates of the faculty of education, University of Port Harcourt, going through various informed thoughts on child education and development, one would sure encounter the views of a renowned French Social Scientist, Emile Durkheim.
\nEmile Durkheim believes that a child is born into the world as a tabula- rasa which means blank- mind as it were, onto which society would have to engrave its values, norms, and culture.
\nFor Durkheim, the role of education and the teacher is to imprint in the child, a number of social and intellectual states required by society for stability and progress. Hence, the child would have to remain docile and simply serve as a receptacle to planned curricular.
\nAmidst various theories and approaches to teaching and learning, what is paramount is the fact that it is the much that the teacher is endowed with that he impacts to the child who naturally wears a posture of naivety.
\nNo doubt, the educational foundation of a child to a greater measure spells out how stable or feeble he turns out eventually and this makes it expedient that we define who teaches the child. The definition of the child\u2019s teacher is imperative given the fact that while not all teachers would adopt Durkheim\u2019s view on child education, many also do not see reason to apply the pedagogical methodology and instructional processes advocated by other theorists. They are neither here nor there.
\nIf it be said that a poor teacher tells an average teacher informs, a good teacher teaches while a noble teacher inspires then there is indeed a need for noble teachers.
\nProfessionally trained teachers who would make children internalize learning experiences by operating within the three domains of educational objectives (the cognitive, affective and psychomotor) as expounded by the American Educational Psychologist, Benjamin Bloom.
\nWhile we search for the teacher that we need, it is important we shop for the teacher who is abreast with the educational challenges of the 21st century which brings a lot of pedagogical burden to bear on the teacher.
\nIn an era of progressive advancement in science and technology, with greater negative influence on the attitude and behavior of children towards education, the teacher is faced with serious challenges and so must be such that goes for more training and development in pedagogy to enable him respond positively to the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching\/learning process to meet curricular innovations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It has become common of late to hear people complain of fallen standard of education in our country.\u00a0 Their worries no doubt, may not be unconnected with the poor yearly output of our tertiary institutions of learning. Surprisingly, these same (tertiary institutions) citadel of knowledge as were hitherto called had been the sole platform through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n