Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has advised teachers to harness the power of cutting-edge technology in their work so as to better prepare young people for today’s world.
He gave the advice Wednesday while delivering his speech in commemoration of the World Teachers’ Day at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
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Speaking on the theme of this year’s World Teachers’ Day, ‘The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers,’ the Vice President said teachers were critical in the transformation and development of a country.
He said teachers should embrace innovation because they also have an important responsibility to themselves, “for them to be at the cutting edge of advancements in education and especially the use of technology and modern teaching methods.”
Prof. Osinbajo, while stressing the significance of the knowledge economy in global development today, said, “Whereas our previous pedagogy inadvertently produced students who were good stores of crammed information, the demands of the future require that we position our young people to think for themselves, to absorb and process the wealth of information available to them, and to tease out useful knowledge.
“Education must respond to the dynamism, speed of development and massive changes in society. Educators must understand the skills required to take full advantage of a world dependent on technology. In addition to listening, education today includes writing, ideation, imagining, and critical thinking skills. It is no longer merely learning by rote,” he added.
The VP who himself was a teacher for 40 years since 1981 urged teachers to continue to “plug themselves into the global knowledge pool”
He said one of the major differences between healthy, well-functioning and prosperous societies and poorer societies is education.
He said, “our future as a nation is so heavily dependent on education and our educators. This explains why the Federal Government is determined to return teachers, teaching and the teaching profession to their rightful places.”
The event was attended by Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State; Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu; Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede; NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba; President Nigerian Union of Teachers, Comrade Audu Amba; representatives of UNESCO, UNICEF and ILO and other senior government officials.
