We Must Promote The Culture Of Teaching Practice - UNICAL VC, Prof. Florence Obi

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi has stated that the Institution will not relent in her effort in promoting the culture of teaching practice and raising the standard of her products to enviable heights, Myschoolnews report.

The Vice-Chancellor stated this during a brief presentation of an official vehicle to the Directorate of Teaching Practice.

Prof. Obi commended the Pioneer Director of the Directorate, Prof. Chika Uchendu for making the Institution proud by being creative and innovative while introducing new ideas that stand her out from her colleagues.

Congratulating Prof. Uchendu and her team for working tirelessly to ensure the acquisition of the official vehicle amongst many other achievements, the Vice Chancellor said posterity will judge her fairly.

She stated that the upgrade of Teaching Practice to a Directorate was born out of the positive experiences of other universities that have turned theirs into a functional directorate.

The University Administrator recalled her time as Dean of the Faculty of Education where she provided the faculty with a bus for monitoring and supervising Teaching Practice and other allied functions before it was destroyed as a result of an accident.

While stating that teaching practice is a very serious aspect of the profession, Prof obi added that it is the only time students are exposed to see the importance and beauty of the teaching profession, hence, the curriculum was changed to ensure that students carry out teaching practice for one full semester in compliance with the NUC minimum benchmark.

In her words, "We asked teachers and heads of schools to mentor them, to give them their best and all that is needed to learn practically in the field. For us as their teachers and lecturers, all we do is to go out to supervise them"

The teaching practice is part and parcel of the teaching profession. It will determine whether the student will practice the profession like other professional courses including law, medicine amongst others".

Speaking, the Director of Teaching Practice, Prof. Chika Uchendu expressed her appreciation to the Vice Chancellor for her prompt intervention in the need of the Directorate, adding that, the purchase of a vehicle for the Directorate will ease in supervision and monitoring of students during teaching practice.

In her words, "We are to send supervisors to the various schools for monitoring with the aid of the official vehicle but not with individuals who used their cars and end up demanding fuel. Now we can go as a team to monitor what is happening in schools.”

In a remark, the Dean of Educational Foundation Studies, Prof. Anthonia Inaja congratulated the Director for her achievements within such a short period, even as she urged the Director not to relent in her effort in doing more for the Directorate, as well as, the university community.