‘NTI to integrate environment in its NCE, degree, PGDE curriculum’

AS part of efforts to revive the abandoned Green Teacher Programme (GTP), the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna, says it will now integrate environmental issues in its Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), BA/Bsc ED, and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PDE) curriculum.

This was disclosed by the director-general and chief executive of the institute, Professor Garba Dahuwa Azare, while addressing participants at a five-day Green Teacher capacity building workshop held in Kaduna.

Represented by Dr Dele Yaya, the director, Field Operations and Students’ Services, Azare stressed that abuse, misuse and problems of the environment could only be addressed when there was an enlightened and environment-friendly citizen drive.

He maintained it was for this that NTI decided to revive the abandoned Green Teacher Programme by integrating environmental concepts, principles and issues into its NCE, BA, BscED, PGDE curriculum.

According to him, this was also part of the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution at its 19th Special Session in September 1997, where they called on all member nations to establish institutional administrative and legal frameworks to tackle all environmental sustainability and sustainable socioeconomic development.

Earlier, the coordinator of the workshop and consultant of GTP, Dr Abdurrahaman Umar, remarked that participants would be acquainted with the right attitude for the protection and improvement of the environment.

He also said that the workshop would acquaint participants with the need to enable students acquire knowledge and information about basic plant and animal ecology as well as understand the current national, regional and global environmental issues and problems.