The Katsina State Government has adopted the Co-Teaching Policy as part measures aimed at addressing redundancy and the increasing glut of teaching personnel in schools in the state
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Hajia Halima Othman told The nation on Saturday in an exclusive interview in her office said the measure is part of efforts by the state government to ensure that the services of the growing number of teachers in the pool, are effectively deployed, while at the same time improve on the content and quality of learning by pupils
She said’’ the co –teaching Policy ensures maximum utilization of available manpower, proper assessment of the academic activities of students and rational management of classroom populations and activities like maintaining class register curb truancy and absenteeism amongst teachers’’
She further explained that under the Policy, a class room population is pegged at 50 with a teacher handling each set. Two teachers may also be deployed to handle a class, with one teaching at a particular lesson hour while the other takes care as form master, like marking the register, checking class works and assignments.
On the issue of out of school syndrome, which has seen quite a number of Children roam the streets daily without embracing the opportunity to acquire formal education, she said the state government is presently addressing the challenge through advocacy, expansion of existing infrastructure, and the provision of learning materials and technology
She acknowledged the leadership efforts of Governor Aminu Bello Masari especially in the recruitment of teaching personnel which she said is presently more than sufficient for the available classrooms, as well as the improved funding and infrastructural development of the education sector
She said ’’Governor Masari’s magic wand in ensuring teacher availability has roundly paid off, as we received personnel from NYSC, Permanent appointments, S Power, Volunteers, Part time, , Colleges of Education and from other sources’’
‘’The pooling together of these personnel however overstretched our requirements and rendered some of them redundant hence the device of the co-teaching policy as a way forward’
