ENHANCING TEACHER QUALITY AT THE PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL: A CASE STUDY OF AN NGO PRIMARY SCHOOL IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

摘要

Primary school teachers need capacity building, coaching and tutoring to enhance their effectiveness. A current educational issue in Nigeria is Universal Basic Education (UBE) which aims to universalize access to basic education, engender a conducive learning environment and eradicate illiteracy. One approach to achieve its objectives is to pursue and intensify the career-long professional development of serving teachers. The Blueprint of the UBE recognized Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) among the stakeholders responsible for effective implementation of the scheme. The subjects are all the 22 teachers of “The Seed” Education Centre primary school in Lagos who participated in the descriptive survey study. A one-week pre-workshop assessment using observation schedule and a checklist of classroom behaviour revealed some deficiencies among the teachers in teaching competencies. Consequently, a two-week intervention tutored the teachers on: the lesson preparation; effective classroom interaction strategies; teaching methodology and strategies, classroom management and control; resources to improve subject mastery; improvisation of teaching materials; and application of learning to students' daily lives. A one-week monitoring and scaffolding through observation a month later, and a final assessment with the checklist at the end of the term showed a significant improvement by the subjects on the variables of the study. It is hereby recommended that schools should regularly retrain their teachers through appropriate interventions to ensure continuous professional pedagogical growth