The Doregos Private Academy and St. Bernadette School have become the
first schools in Nigeria and Africa to get all their teachers
certified in the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organisation Standard, Digital Literacy and Microsoft certifications.
About 120 teachers obtained the UNESCO and Microsoft certifications.
It was gathered that the certification was towards preparing students
for the new academic session with 21st century skills, which they will
need in a world where technology is prevalent and quickly changing.
The teachers from the schools are now certified as Microsoft Certified
Educators, and Internet and Computing Core Certified .
These certifications have differentiated Doregos and St. Bernadette
Schools teachers from their counterparts in Nigeria and Africa.
The Microsoft partners in learning group have a professional
development programme to help teachers develop the attributes needed
for innovative teaching.
PUNCH correspondent, therefore, learnt that the teachers were
undergoing training for four weeks at New Horizons in Nigeria, where
they would also sit for the international certification online
examination to test their competencies in all areas based on the
examination body.
Industry players said that the achievement has set a standard for
Information and Communication Technology digital literacy and teaching
with technology in schools today for others to emulate.
The proprietress of the two schools, Mrs. Clementina Doregos, said she
was delighted in the training her teachers were undergoing at New
Horizons, noting that it will aid them to be on the same level with
their colleagues abroad.
Doregos explained that her visit to top schools in the United States
of America and the United Kingdom showed that teaching had gone beyond
didactic method of training to collaborative method where teachers and
students share knowledge real time in classroom with the use of
technology.
"Over there, teachers and students are collaborating, innovating and
solving problems in classroom and in real time," she said.
The Managing Director of New Horizons, Tim Akano, said, that the
proprietress had informed him of how she wanted her teachers to be
certified and empowered yearly by using technology to train the
students.
New Horizons has developed a curriculum for teachers in line with
UNESCO standard, digital literacy and Microsoft certifications to
empower, equip them with 21st century teaching skills, and test their
competency. This, education experts said, would address one of the
reasons for mass failure in the Senior School Certificate Examination.
The Head, National Office, West Africa Examination Council, Mr.
Charles Eguridu, said many Nigerian teachers were not competent and
some could not read, saying, "How then will they impact knowledge they
do not possess."
Eguridu also said that teachers found it difficult to write competency
tests, which, he said, some states had reversed for obvious reasons.
"So the quality of the teachers in the systems is such that one cannot
vouch for their competence," he said.
Educators holding a Microsoft Certified Educators and Internet and
Computing Core Certifications have the competencies needed to apply
technology skills to the teaching and learning process, creating a
richer learning experience for students, and saving precious time.
A certification that aligns to global educator standards can be a
helpful differentiator, whether you are looking for your first
teaching position, interested in taking on a leadership role in your
school, or discussing your qualifications with parents.
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