The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, and the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Olufemi Peters, officially signed the Memorandum of Understanding, marking the launch of a groundbreaking postgraduate program aimed at enhancing teacher quality in Nigeria.
During the signing, Dr. Bobboyi highlighted that the Teacher Internship Scheme was developed to raise the standard of teaching and learning in schools, with a particular focus on leveraging technology to create a more engaging, motivational, collaborative, and personalized learning environment for students.
“As part of our strategy to achieve this, UBEC has incorporated a six-month Smart Education Primer course and a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Smart Education into the two-year Teacher Internship Scheme,” Dr. Bobboyi explained.
He added that these capacity-building programs are specifically designed to equip interns with the skills required to assist teachers in UBEC’s Model/Smart schools and Effective schools, fostering technology-driven teaching and learning.
“As a globally recognized education intervention and regulatory body, UBEC is preparing its teachers through the PGD in Smart Education to cultivate globally competitive learners who consistently achieve excellent results,” he said.
Dr. Bobboyi emphasized the transformative impact of technology on education, noting that its integration into teaching and learning is reshaping the educational landscape, with the potential to significantly enhance educational outcomes and promote lifelong learning.
“Through this program, learners will be better equipped to navigate the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world,” he remarked.
He also noted that, for now, the internship is targeted at education graduates, but plans are underway to expand access, allowing more individuals to gain knowledge in smart education and boosting the adoption of technology-based pedagogy across Nigerian schools.
Dr. Bobboyi urged State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and other stakeholders in the basic education sector to make the most of the trained graduates from this scheme. He expressed his appreciation to NOUN for the collaboration and commended UBEC’s Digital Resource Centre for equipping interns with essential skills.
NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olufemi Peters, described the partnership as strategically aligned with the mandates of both institutions—delivering quality education at various levels. He stated that NOUN’s Faculty of Education, which will house the new program, is well-positioned to support schools, teachers, teacher training institutions, and other educational stakeholders involved in the initiative.
Professor Peters expressed confidence that this collaboration would lead to the high-quality education outcomes that UBEC, SUBEBs, and other key players have long sought.
