The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has commenced the second phase of the European Union (EU)-funded education project tagged ‘Education and Youth Empowerment in Nigeria, Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS) to Build Teachers’ Capacity and Resilience’.
The head of office and UNESCO representative in Nigeria, Dr Jean-Paul Ngome Abiaga, in his goodwill message at the commencement of the programme, disclosed that the programme is taking off in Bayelsa and five other states, including Adamawa, Enugu, Oyo, Plateau, and Katsina.
According to him, the project is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s educational system by investing in the training of teachers.
“This initiative reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s education system by investing in the professional resilience, collaboration, and effectiveness of teachers—the backbone of learning and national development.
The focus of today’s engagement—the establishment of Teacher Learning Teams (TLTs)—is at the heart of UNESCO’s vision for sustainable teacher development. TLTs create a platform where teachers learn from one another, strengthen their pedagogical practices, and build deeper connections with their students and communities. Evidence from around the world shows that when teachers collaborate, student learning improves, school communities thrive, and education systems become more equitable and resilient.”
Ngome Abiaga explained further that the school mapping exercise to be undertaken in the state is very crucial to the success of the programme.
He pointed out that it would help in generating adequate data on schools’ infrastructure and teachers’ deployment.
Ngome Abiaga commended the Bayelsa State government and Bayelsans for their support for the project, adding that it would go a long way to improve the education system in the state.
“Through collaboration with SUBEB, the state ministry of education, and LGEAs, this activity will generate vital, geo-referenced data on school locations, teacher deployment, and infrastructure. These data will feed directly into the national Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) and support smarter planning, effective clustering of schools, and more impactful implementation of TLTs.”
He also applauded the EU for providing the necessary funds and the leadership of the federal ministry of education in ensuring the alignment of this work with national standards and priorities.
