The Federal Government has commenced the training of 45 master trainers drawn from 15 colleges of education to cascade skills in safe learning environments, gender-responsive pedagogy and information and communication technology, ICT, to about 500 teacher educators across Nigeria.
The initiative, supported by the Government of Japan through UNESCO, is aimed at strengthening teacher preparation and ensuring that schools become safer, more inclusive and better equipped to address the learning needs of girls and boys.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, represented by the Director of Colleges of Education, Dr. Uchenna Uba, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a three-day Master Trainers Workshop on Safe Learning Environment, Gender-Responsive Pedagogy and ICT Skills for Educators in Teacher Training Institutions in Nigeria.
Ahmad said the success of education policies would ultimately depend on teachers’ ability to translate them into practical action in classrooms, particularly in identifying bullying, responding to abuse and ensuring that every learner participates meaningfully in lessons.
“We cannot simply hand her a policy and expect every difficulty to disappear. We must prepare her to put it in practice. That is the promise of this workshop,” she said.
The minister said the Federal Ministry of Education had introduced a national policy on anti-bullying in Nigerian schools and its implementation guidelines, but stressed that their effectiveness would be determined by what teachers do when confronted with bullying, exclusion or reports of abuse.
She said the 45 master trainers would deepen their capacity in gender-responsive pedagogy, safe learning environments, prevention and response to school-related gender-based violence and digital teaching before transferring the knowledge to about 500 teacher educators.
Ahmad also urged the trainers to make the intervention practical by demonstrating how ICT equipment could be used in actual lessons, including through projectors, smart boards and tablets, while ensuring that digital resources remained useful even in areas with poor internet connectivity.
“The measure of the donation will be the teaching it makes possible,” she said.
The minister further challenged the trainers to ensure that the knowledge acquired became embedded in their institutions rather than remaining a one-off training exercise.
“When you return to your colleges, show your colleagues what this work looks like in a real lesson. Let them practise it. Observe what changes,” she said.
Also speaking, the UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Isaias Barreto da Rosa, said the workshop marked another milestone in the implementation of a project launched in March 2024 to strengthen teacher-training systems and promote continuous, inclusive and quality education for girls in West Africa.
Da Rosa said a situational analysis and baseline assessment conducted under the project identified three critical areas requiring intervention: teachers’ capacity to apply gender-responsive pedagogy, the creation of safe and supportive learning environments, and improved digital competence and ICT integration in teaching and learning.
He said the three priorities were interconnected because teachers needed to combine inclusive teaching methods, learner protection and digital competence to improve educational outcomes.
“Technology can provide tools. Policy can provide the framework. But the teachers bring learning to life,” Da Rosa said.
He noted that UNESCO had provided ICT equipment to 15 teacher-training institutions in Nigeria in May 2026, stressing that equipment alone could not transform education without adequately trained and motivated teachers.
“We cannot transform education with equipment only. People, practice and institutions do transform education. But let me say, especially teachers, we cannot invest billions, but if we don’t have good teachers, trained teachers, and especially motivated teachers, our educational system will not improve,” he said.
On his part, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, Mr. Kozaki Hitoshi, said Japan was supporting the initiative with a grant of about $3 million.
Kozaki said the project, implemented by UNESCO in collaboration with the African Union and the Nigerian Government, covered six countries and focused on strengthening teacher-training institutions and advancing continuous, inclusive and quality education for girls.
“Teachers are at the heart of quality education. Teachers matter a lot for girls in school,” he said.
He identified gender inequality, insecurity and unsafe learning environments among the barriers still confronting girls, stressing that empowering teachers was critical to creating opportunities for girls to learn and realise their potential.
According to him, the ICT support provided to the 15 Nigerian colleges was intended to complement the capacity-building component of the project.
“But technology is only a tool. Its impact depends on the people who use it,” Kozaki said.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the African Union International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa, Mr. Boubakar Yougbare, also stressed the importance of strengthening teachers’ capacity as part of broader efforts to advance girls’ education across Africa.
The workshop is expected to equip participants with practical competencies which they will cascade to pre-service and in-service teachers in their respective institutions, thereby extending the reach of the intervention beyond the 15 participating colleges.
