7,000 teachers are trained by NTI in Special Needs and Disabilities — DG

From 2011 to the present, the National Teachers Institute (NTI), Kaduna, claims to have trained over 7,000 teachers in Special Needs and Disabilities (SENDS).

Prof. Musa Maitafsir, the Institute’s Director-General (DG), announced this on Saturday in Abuja during a SENDS Training for Institute staff.

Employees from the Federal Ministry of Education were also among those who benefited from the Saturday training.

According to Maitafsir, the institute successfully conducted the trainings with the help of its renowned consultant, Anxiom Learning Solutions.

According to the NTI director, the trained teachers were drawn from across the country, and no less than 250,000 teachers were also provided with adequate learning aids.

“This edition is critical as we move through the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“This is also to address the need to upskill teachers who manage students with diverse needs and teach in diverse communities during times of disruption.”

“The country’s security challenges and conflicts have resulted in a situation in which students suddenly do not have access to face-to-face learning.”

“It is critical that teachers and stakeholders are ready to assist students in their learning.”

“Teachers will learn a variety of skills that will enable them to engage students with disabilities, either physically or intellectually,” Maitafsir explained.

He stated that the MDGS and, later, SDGs officers had been at the forefront of inclusion in Nigerian classrooms over the last decade.

The 2021 edition, according to the DG, was pivotal because it introduced teaching techniques to accommodate children with disabilities in the remote learning experience during disruptions.

“Our intent and desire is to broaden the beneficiaries of the capacity development exercise across the country’s 36 states in 2022 and beyond.”

“SENDS training is an essential component of my strategy framework for achieving SDG 4 by 2030.”

“As a result, I intend for the success of this program to serve as a model for enriching existing content and curriculum content.”

“It will also serve to implement a mass training of SENDS teachers throughout the country in 2022 and beyond,” Maitafsir said.