1Esamagu, Efe Emmanuel, 2Muktar, Saidu Kida
3Martha Ezekiel Shemang
1Department of History and International Studies, University of Jos, Plateau State - Nigeria
2College of Education Waka-Biu, Borno State - Nigeria
3Department of History Kaduna State College of Education Gidan Waya, Kafanchan, Kaduna State - Nigeria
Abstract: This paper delved into the relationship between capacity building and the history teacher in the 21st century. This work in its entirety was necessitated by the status quo of history as a subject and the dearth of capacity building for this category of teachers, while its proper perception was addressed and discussed extensively. It also interrogates the extent to which it has been convened in recent years for these teachers. Suffice it to assert that preliminary findings have established that it has become a norm for these retaining exercise not to be conducted for them. More so, inconsistency in educational policies as regard the teaching of history dampens the morale of teachers and affects their quality. The advantages of conducting seminars were adumbrated which includes the fact that it contributes to the success recorded by the history teachers, gets them acquainted with historical issues, trends and dimensions. Furthermore, it enables them to be critical and analytical thinkers, proffer solutions to evolving problems, assist them to be thorough, transfer knowledge with ease, enhance their capacity as well as directly contribute positively to the performance of their students. The paper concludes by presupposing the activation of refresher courses for all categories of teachers. It also buttresses the assertion that quality capacity building for history teachers is the panacea to recovering Nigeria’s economy and advancing the nation's educational system.
Keywords: Capacity Building, History Teacher, Teacher Education, Nexus.
Introduction
The success of any educational program mostly in tandem with the performance of the history teacher is connected to continuous training and retraining. The history teacher is supposed to be an individual who is well-informed, versatile, imparts knowledge systematically either within or outside the classroom, organises learning tasks and experiences with proper mental capacity or capability to function effectively.
History as a subject gradually loses its relevance in most schools, in the nation at large while many school authorities are unaware of the inestimable knowledge this subject offers. This paper brings to the fore the current state of these teachers and the urgent need for them to be constantly trained to project and teach effectively. This will set them on a good pedestal to discharge their responsibility professionally in a competitive learning environment as well as
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make the subject interesting and more relevant. The aforementioned forms the theme of the discourse.
Background to the Concept of Capacity Building for History Teachers
The concept of capacity building emerged in the 1990s and was more prominent from the year 1991. Though previously conceptualized as institution building, it is concerned with strengthening the skills, competencies and abilities of people. The Catholic Relief Services- CRS (1987) perceived it as an on- going process through which individuals, groups, organizations and societies enhance their ability to identify and meet challenges. This is particularly accomplished by providing resources and training, but is most effectively done with a partner or in global solidarity.
One cannot gloss over the United Nations Development Programme – UNDP (1991) definition of capacity building states:
A long-term continual process of development that involves all stakeholders, including ministries, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, professionals, community members, academics and more.
The goal of capacity building is to tackle problems related to policy and methods of development, while considering the potentials, limits and needs of the people of the country concerned.
A more salient perception of this phenomenon is from an online encyclopedia where it was stated that:
It has been observed that capacity building can also be referred to as capacity development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibits people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing that abilities that will allow them to achieve measurable and sustainable results (www.google.com.capacity-building).
These definitions encapsulate the focus of this study. It clearly portrays and projects what the exercise is expected to accomplish in the recipients. Considering its importance, the National Policy on Education (2005) no 60 and 61 put it succinctly, that:
Teacher education shall continue to take cognizance of change in methodology and in the curriculum. Teachers shall be regularly exposed to innovations in their profession. In-service training shall be developed as an integral part of continuing teacher education and shall also take care of all inadequacies.
On her part, the Teachers‘ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has a mission ―to promote excellence in education…‖, ―mandatory continuing professional development and maintenance of discipline among teachers at all levels of the education system‖. Generally, leaders around the globe and owners of industries equip their followers and workers consistently through conducting trainings. The goal is to enhance the intellectual, interpersonal and organizational skills of the people.
The past few years has witnessed the relegation of the issue to the background for the history teachers. The statement was buttressed after a survey was conducted to examine the status of the teaching profession in twenty- three African countries. Joe and Whawo (2004) opined that the World Confederation of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) survey revealed that training has been inadequate.
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Ushie (2004:28-36) stated that ―the problem of teacher production and retention in their quantity has continued to plague the Nigerian education system. The problem seems to be more on the in-service training than the pre-service training for teachers to be knowledgeable about the production and use of instructional materials in the classroom or in the learning process‖. Maigoro (2008) corroborated both facts by stressing that ―retraining and refresher courses for history teachers are not organized. One only hears of workshops for English, mathematics, social studies, science teachers‖. The situation of the history teacher is pathetic considering the fact that history is trying to gain relevance.
Just like other professions, the teaching profession is bedeviled with certain challenges like inadequate budgetary provision, unqualified and ill-motivated teachers, remuneration etc.
History teachers in particular are affected by the disposition of government to them, which on the other hand favours teachers in the sciences which has persisted till date. It is factual that Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) is a vibrant body recognized by the government and refresher courses are normally organized for teachers who belong to this category.
Concept of Teacher Education
It is well known that the quality and extent of learner achievement are determined primarily by teacher competence, sensitivity and teacher motivation. The National Council for Teacher Education has defined teacher education as – A programme of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher education level. Teacher education is a programme that is related to the development of teacher proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teacher to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges therein. According to Goods Dictionary of Education, Teacher education means, ―all the formal and non-formal activities and experiences that help to qualify a person to assume responsibilities of a member of the educational profession or to discharge his responsibilities more effectively. Between 1906-1956, the program of teacher preparation was called teacher training. It prepared teachers as mechanics or technicians. It had narrower goals with its focus being only on skill training. The perspective of teacher education was therefore very narrow and its scope was limited. As Kilpatric puts it, training is given to animals and circus performers, while education is to human beings. Teacher education encompasses teaching skills, sound pedagogical theory and professional skills. As a result, the concepts of profession and professionalism have become diffuse and lack conceptual clarity.
In this paper, capacity building for history teachers also becomes paramount for efficiency and prestige.
The Relevance of Capacity Building to History Teachers Today
It is pertinent to state that the contribution of capacity building exercises cannot be overemphasized. Geo and Garth (2003) alluded to Alfred Marshall‘s opinion that ―the most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings… He further explained that if one of the major goals of nearly all societies today is rapid economic growth, then programs of human resource development must be designed to provide the knowledge, the skills, and the incentives required by a productive economy.
Through the aforementioned discourse, history teachers can enhance their skills in the classroom and transmit their knowledge to their students on the employability skills history provides. With these skills, they can fend for themselves and contribute their quota to the
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economy which could be in form of payment of taxes, proffering solutions to national issues etc.
Agbo and Ogbe (2007) opined that no matter how good and broad the teachers‘ (history teachers inclusive) instructional objectives and curricular activities for achieving them could be written down, making it a reality is far from being reached. The result of retraining is that it improves the quality of the history teacher. This compels the teacher to possess comprehensive knowledge about current education theory, psychology and sociology, new methods of teaching, new developments in educational technology and their applications as well as new lines of thought in his particular area. Teacher education renders a significant contribution in the development of teaching skills among the students. The teachers, employed in professional institutions are informative in terms of practical and theoretical knowledge regarding their respective subjects. It is essential for them to make use of specialized teacher training inputs with the purpose of training the students, who are making an entry into their professions.
Life is not static. Therefore, there are evolving philosophical concepts which could be applied in and out of the classroom. Also, deliberate efforts made by the teacher to produce instructional materials and understand individual students‘ abilities places the teacher concerned in a better position in this era.
To recover Nigeria‘s economy through quality teacher education, the 21st century history teacher cannot afford to be ignorant in this era of information and communication technology (ICT). In light of the previous discussions, seminars, workshops etc can be organized for teachers of history to be abreast on the technical knowhow of operating computers and surfing the internet in accessing current and better information.
These teachers through access to information will be comfortable discussing issues like globalization which has become the defining process of the present age. Other issues are growth and developments, international relations and politics, world order, corruption and the economy, leadership issues on the African continent etc.
Oyetunde (2002) explained that teaching is not a ―passive process in which the teacher just fills the students with knowledge, information, or facts as was conceptualized for many years.
Beyond this, through consistent training, it is expected that the history teachers will be afforded the opportunity to possess requisite pedagogical skills, in order to be thorough.
Consequently, they will be able to reflect the needs, aspirations and personal development of the students.
In the process, they are expected to take into cognizance the cognitive (head), affective (heart), and the psychomotor (hands) domain. The emphasis on a particular domain at the expense of others will inevitably inhibit the development of other domains.
In assessing what the teacher does, reference was made to the teacher being ―purposeful (goal oriented), coherent (structured), meaningful (bridges the gap between the known and unknown) and functional (usable and transferable)‖. (Oyetunde, 2002). He stressed the need to assist students acquire and use knowledge, and to learn to think and solve problems. It therefore connotes that with constant training exercises, history teachers will be motivated to stimulate the spirit of enquiry, thinking and problem solving, while taking the right decision in social and moral conflict.
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Problem solving is therefore a skill history teacher can acquire especially in a multiethnic, multifaceted and pluralistic society like Nigeria. Thus, they are able to view issues from a broad-based perspective and dynamic in approach.
Building teacher capacity connotes that the government and policy makers must provide the necessary resources, materials and ―tools‖ that are required to teach effectively (Benedicta, 2011). The relevance is that history teachers can possess the necessary knowledge and be exposed to the rationale behind Nigeria‘s present scenario as a nation (internal and external factors) and will be confident in discussion with colleagues while teaching.
During on-the-job training, concepts possibly topical issues like globalization, technological advancement and industrialization will be analyzed. These are current trends in the 21st century which have been included in secondary school curriculum and must be taught.
Perhaps, where a teacher is moribund due to inadequate training, retraining exercises, transfer of information will be incomplete, unattainable and uninteresting.
Benedicta (2011) averred that the end result of successful capacity building initiatives should be effective and transformative teaching and learning. Adeolu (2011) in his reference to Banjo (1987) posited that adequate training of teachers in the latest methodology, to a large extent, determines how the learner learns during instructional activities.
Despite students studying history at the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and undergraduate levels yet the level of encouragement at the senior secondary certificate examination (SSCE) level by the government is abysmal, thus affecting the interests of these students.
Hence, it is incumbent on all stakeholders, most importantly the government to regularly build the capacity of history teachers to motivate the younger generation to choose and learn history. It is axiomatic that ―one cannot be an intelligent citizen if he is ignorant of the history of his country and the world in which he lives‖.
Those who are saddled with the responsibility of teaching history should avail themselves whenever the opportunity arises to attend refresher courses. There are instances that the teacher may spend from his earning to improve his lot. This will help the history teacher to appreciate and adapt to the challenges inherent in teaching history. More so, there is a moral burden on the teacher to be conscientious and conscious to make history an interesting subject and themselves more relevant as against the norm. The knowledge acquired through history is sacrosanct as ―a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without root".
‗Education is often seen as a prerequisite for quality manpower development and creation of wealth, a sure path to success in life and service to humanity. (Ogunyinka, Okeke, &
Adedoyin, 2015). Quality capacity building will afford history teachers the opportunity to comprehend notions of human agency, change, the role of material circumstances in human affairs and the putative meaning of historical events.
It could also help to raise the possibility of better understanding of ourselves in the present, by understanding the forces, choices and circumstances that brought us to our current situation. Constant update through training exercises can enable them to teach their students
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to be critical, analytical in collecting and handling historical sources with objectivity, authenticity and reliability of the sources available.
Sati (2007) corroborated the latter statement by stating that the opportunities offered by the method include corroboration and not believing any source on the surface. John (2007) also supported the need for validity and authenticity of historical sources which has to be established. The relevance of capacity building to history teachers indeed are inexhaustible.
Conclusion
As seen in the discourse, capacity building is an essential programme that equips the history teacher in a dynamic educational setting. Having unequivocally examined the status quo of the current target population in this paper, retraining exercises would keep the teachers invigorated and enable them execute their tasks, responsibilities and perform optimally. More awareness needs to be created on the relevance of history in repositioning the country for rapid growth and development especially in the educational sector.
Organization of refresher courses mostly for science teachers constitutes a threat to other categories of teachers, in particular the history teacher. Every qualified and competent teacher is critical to the advancement of the students and the educational system in general. On the part of the government, there is a need for synergy in organizing capacity building exercises for history teachers whose pedagogical skills must be improved.
Considering these highlights, all hands must be on deck in ensuring the quality of these above enumerated exercises vis-à-vis teacher education in general. Hence, such is done in order for Nigeria to improve her economy. Quality education is therefore a bedrock to stimulate growth of any society and this can be accomplished when teachers are consistently trained. It is premised on the aforementioned that this paper advocates for periodic training of history teachers and the need to prioritize it.
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