Colleges of Education Provosts Demand Stronger Security, Safer Learning Environments

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08/10/26 • 97 Visninger • 0 Del • Udgivet i Andet

The Committee of Provosts of Colleges of Education has called for stronger measures to secure schools and teacher-training institutions across Nigeria, warning that the country cannot produce effective 21st-century teachers in environments where learners feel physically, emotionally or psychologically unsafe.

The committee also urged teacher-training institutions to equip educators with the knowledge and practical skills needed to prevent and respond to bullying, harassment, violence, exclusion and other threats capable of undermining learning.

The call was made amid renewed concerns over security challenges facing schools across the country and ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to strengthen safe learning environments as a key component of education delivery.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee of Provosts at a National Trainers’ Workshop on Safe Learning Environment, Gender-Responsive Pedagogy and ICT Skills for Educators in Teacher Training Institutions in Nigeria, the Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, Dr James Olisa, described the initiative as timely.

Olisa said safety and inclusion must become central to teacher education, stressing that educators could not effectively prepare learners for the demands of the 21st century if their own training environments failed to demonstrate respect, protection and inclusion.

He said teacher-training campuses should be environments where students are protected from harassment, bullying and violence and are given the opportunity to learn and thrive.

The provost also called for greater emphasis on gender-responsive pedagogy, urging teacher educators to identify and eliminate gender stereotypes from instructional materials, classroom interactions and assessment practices.

He stressed the importance of ensuring equal opportunities for male and female student teachers, particularly in science, technology and other traditionally underrepresented areas.

On digital education, Olisa said traditional teaching methods alone were no longer sufficient to prepare learners for an increasingly technology-driven world.

He urged teacher-training institutions to move beyond theoretical ICT instruction and integrate digital tools practically into teaching and learning.

Government Raises Concern Over Safety and Learning Outcomes

Earlier, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, said the Federal Government was concerned about whether children physically present in schools were actually safe, participating actively and learning effectively.

Ahmad, represented at the workshop by the Director of Colleges of Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Uchenna Uba, said school enrolment and attendance figures alone could no longer provide a complete picture of Nigeria's education system.

She noted that children could remain physically present in classrooms while bullying, exclusion, ridicule and other unsafe conditions gradually prevented them from engaging meaningfully in learning.

According to the minister, UNICEF data indicated that 74 per cent of children aged seven to 14 lacked basic reading and mathematics skills in 2024, highlighting the need for education authorities to look beyond access and attendance when measuring learning outcomes.

Ahmad said every child’s presence in school should be matched by evidence that the learner was safe, included, participating and learning.

She disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education had introduced the National Policy on Anti-Bullying in Nigerian Schools and its implementation guidelines, but stressed that the effectiveness of the policy would depend largely on how teachers and other school personnel respond to cases of bullying, abuse and exclusion.

The minister also linked teachers’ ability to protect vulnerable learners to the conditions under which they work, noting that overcrowded classrooms, inadequate instructional materials and heavy workloads could limit their capacity to identify and respond to learners in distress.

45 Master Trainers to Cascade Knowledge

The workshop is training 45 master trainers from 15 colleges of education, who are expected to cascade the knowledge gained to approximately 500 teacher educators across the country.

The training covers safe learning environments, gender-responsive pedagogy, prevention and response to school-related gender-based violence, digital teaching and ICT skills.

Ahmad urged participating institutions to ensure that ICT equipment provided with support from the Government of Japan and UNESCO translates into practical improvements in teacher preparation and classroom instruction.

She also challenged the master trainers to replicate the programme in their institutions, provide opportunities for colleagues to practise the approaches and monitor their impact on classroom learning.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, Kozaki Hitoshi, reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting the development of education in Nigeria.

Kozaki said the success of the intervention would ultimately depend on how beneficiary institutions deployed the equipment and knowledge provided to improve teacher preparation and learning outcomes.

The workshop underscores the need for Nigeria’s safe-school agenda to address not only bullying, harassment and gender-based violence but also broader security threats that could prevent learners and teachers from studying and working in safe environments.

The Committee of Provosts maintained that teacher education must prepare educators not only to teach, but also to identify threats, protect vulnerable learners and create inclusive environments where students can participate in learning without fear.

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