Muyingo tells teachers to be adventurous

INNOVATION   EDUCATION

KAMPALA - The State Minister for Higher Education John C Muyingo has urged teacher educators to be innovative and embrace the 21st-century teaching skills to produce quality teachers.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the second Teachers Symposium on Friday in Kampala, Muyingo urged the teachers to be lifelong learners, adventurous, innovative, imaginative and to respect their profession.

"If we are to have quality teachers, it will have to start with you the trainers. You are the engines that will empower the teachers that will transform our society," Muyingo said.

He noted that Uganda is committed to implementing Sustainable Development Goal 4 which challenges to leave no one behind.

"We must sharpen ourselves to train quality of teachers. The government is committed to supporting teachers at all levels to deliver quality work," Muyingo said.

 
He added that although the government still has the challenge of providing facilities to train teachers, the situation is improving with more resources channeled to the teacher training institutions.

"We still have a challenge of errant teachers who are abusing children, let us work together to mold better teachers who will uphold the profession in high regard," Muyingo said.

The three-day symposium organised by the Ministry of Education and Sports ran under the theme; "The quality teacher for the 21^st Century"

It attracted all categories and levels of teacher educators producing teachers for Uganda's education system from pre-primary to University.

The commissioner Teacher Instruction Education and Traning (TIET) Jane Egau, revealed that they will be retooling teacher trainers beginning with National Teacher Colleges.

"We are going to retool the teacher educators starting with NTCs so that the teachers coming out of these institutions are able to do what they are supposed to do in a professional way," Egau said.

She noted that the main purpose of the Symposium is to reflect on Teacher Education Quality: past, present, and future, so as to identify Gaps and Solutions for improving Teacher Education Delivery which embraces the International Standards.

 
"The symposium is like a mini-review of the TIET department. With this symposium, we want to focus on pedagogy. We want to improve pedagogy so that we produce better teachers," Egau said.

She revealed that in this era there is a need for teachers who prepare learners to work, to create and be innovative.

During the symposium, the teacher educators exhibited various innovations used to skill learners in the fields of ICT, art, mathematics, technology among others.

"We are more practical in our teaching compared to 10 years ago. We are also incorporating technology and skilling our learners with skills in vocation," said Micheal Ndora, a tutor at Canon Apolo Core Primary Teachers College.

He challenged fellow teacher educators to remain professional, be role models and inspire the public.