Teachers in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools across the county are to undergo training on Special Needs and Disabilities, SEND skills with a view to strengthening their competencies to effectively manage social, behavioural, physical, and intellectual disabilities and challenges in pupils.
The capacity building and development training workshop is organised by the National Teachers Institute, NTI Kaduna, and Axiom Learning Solutions Limited.
The SENDs training programme is one of the special components under the NTI Kaduna, is funded by Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs Office for Primary & Junior secondary school teachers across the six geo-political zones of the federation.
Expectedly, at least 148 participants will be trained using a classroom setting accommodating a maximum of 28 participants per class, with handouts and other suitable technology training aids being employed.
Four participants according to a statement issued by Axiom, have been selected from the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory, with three participants each, from each senatorial district and one Early Childhood Teacher from the central senatorial district for the SENDs Training, based on pre-agreed selection criteria.
The statement informed that the selected teachers for the training comprised Primary School head-teachers and Junior Secondary school principals or vice principals.
It also explained that the training became necessary owing to the disruptions created in the education sector by the COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptive events.
Stressing the need to improve the capacity of Nigerian teachers by equipping them with the necessary skills to drive learning in a 21st-century classroom, Axiom in the statement, said the training would among other objectives improve teachers capabilities to effectively manage social, behavioural, physical, and intellectual disabilities challenges in children within a school environment, as well as promote an inclusive classroom.
The statement read: “We have modified and re-designed the SENDs training experience with a clear understanding of our client’s needs and offer localised solutions based on global best practices.
“Axiom Learning Solutions has a robust corporate governing structure that includes the advisory and academic boards and they guide the design of learning experiences for improving teacher capacity. They are an integral part of the quality assurance architecture put in place to ensure that NTI’s SENDs project achieves its desired impact.
Axiom Learning will manage the two-day capacity building workshop with a focus on the desired training outcomes to build the requisite skills of selected teachers from Primary and Junior Secondary Schools.
“With the use of research tools and secondary data, Axiom Learning Solutions have developed the curriculum based on international best practices and customized the learning objectives to suit local challenges and drive inclusive learning in classrooms.
“It has also developed a comprehensive reference manual integrated with a practical workbook to highlight key skills and aid participation and knowledge transfer in the classrooms.
At the end of the training workshop, Axiom will submit a comprehensive report of successful completion of the programme and recommendations to NIT”.
