By Giwa SHILE
The Presidential Committee on Northeast Initiative (PCNI) on Monday began a five-day capacity building training for 500 teachers in Borno.
Speaking at the opening of the training in Maiduguri, PCNI’s Vice Chairman, Dr Tijjani Tumsa, said that the exercise was designed to address challenges facing the education sector caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.
He explained that teachers would be exposed to modern teaching techniques; safety and security tips as well as psychological support.
Tumsa said: “This is the second batch of beneficiaries of the training exercise to strengthen the capacity of teachers in teaching techniques, safety and security measures in school’s environment and trauma counseling.’’
He noted that training was imperative to check the spate of examination failure, encourage academic excellence as well as science and technology development.
According to him, some 500 teachers were trained under the first batch of the programme in Borno, while over 1, 000 others benefited from the training exercise in Adamawa and Yobe States.
Tumsa said that the programme was implemented in collaboration with the University of Maiduguri.
Also commenting, Alhaji Shettima Kullima, the Chairman, Borno State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), described the exercise as ‘timely’.
Kulluma said that the exercise would go a long way to address challenges bedeviling the basic education sector in the state.
The SUBEB boss, who was represented by Alhaji Ali Dogo, said that some teachers had either been killed or abducted, while 520 schools and over 5, 000 classrooms were destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents in the state.
