Nigeria’s Annual Education Conference to be held on November 8 will focus on the critical role teachers’ play in achieving the goal of providing learning opportunities for all.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to deliver the keynote address while Kwame Akyeampong, an erudite international professor of Teacher Education at the University of Sussex, UK will present the lead paper.
The conference is organised by the Federal Ministry of Education with its partners in education, led by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
Speaking on the proposed event, Oladele Akogun, a professor and Country Director of Education Data, Research and Evaluation in Nigeria, EDOREN, explained that the conference would provide an opportunity for all stakeholders in the education sector, especially teachers, to make input into education policies in the country.
He said: “ The main objective are to provide an opportunity for communicating research evidence that will guide basic education policy and practice of the Federal and State governments, and to bring together stakeholders in the education and policy sector.”
He said researches have shown that education policies are made without the input of critical stakeholders, including teachers, stressing that the long term aim of the conference is to give teachers the benefit of contributing to education policies.
Akogun, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, said the theme of the conference is: Learning Opportunities for All: The Critical Role of Teachers. A carefully selected team of experts in diverse fields of education will lead discussions on topics such as: Improving the quality of teaching, developing an approach to managing teachers effectively, and rebuilding education services in emergencies.
Other sponsors of the conference include The British Council, UNICEF, State Education Partnership Investment Programme, Nigeria Partnership for Education Project, the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and the Universal Basic Education Commission.