Preserve the Purpose: The Value of TCTI’s Specialized Focus
By Clemson Iwara
I have seen Cross Riverians unite to oppose the call to convert the Teachers Continuous Training Institute into a university or polytechnic. The voices demonstrate a shared commitment to preserving the institute’s original purpose and expertise.
It is important to have a deep understanding of something before making some agitations for the greater good of the people and not out of emotions or personal convictions, but people own a right to their opinion and beliefs.
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The Teachers Continuous Training Institute transcends Biase Local Government Area, serving as a vital national resource center and a beacon for classroom excellence to foster learning for both educators and students, extending its impact even beyond Cross River State to benefit the entire nation.
We must understand that an institution of coaching is a research and training environment which serves as a think-tank to provide relevant policy research, mentorship training to tutors and academic advisory services to support effective learning.
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A teachers training institute has a specialized focus on orienting educators, which is essential for introducing performance benchmarks in our academics. By converting same into a university, this focus will be lost, and the center will no longer be able to provide the specialized training that teachers need.
This is so because training institutes all over the world emphasize supervision, guidelines, practical skills and expectations, which are essential for teachers to implement the same in the classrooms. Universities on the other hand, tend to focus more on theoretical knowledge. By keeping institutions of continuous training separate, we ensure that teachers receive the practical knowledge they need to be good educators to the larger society.
TCTI Biase is to Cross River State what the Maritime Training Academy is to Akwa Ibom State, what the National Teachers Institute is to the people of Kaduna, what the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) located in Kuru, near Jos, is to Plateau State and what the Michael Okpara College of Agricultural Research, Umudike, is to Abia State.
Therefore, converting an institute of training into another regular university or polytechnic is not the answer, considering the role it can play in fostering growth to amplify our shared prosperity. Advanced research and learning institutions benefits not just the teacher and student, but the entire learning ecosystem.
