The Roles of Teachers in Nigeria National Development

No teachers no future, a nation without  teachers is a nation heading for doom because a teacher is a person who can either make or mar the future of a society, a person whose importance cannot be over emphasized, a teacher is a vessel for development, the kind of teachers the  nation has shows the kind of future within the nation.

A definition of who a teacher is, according to Oxford dictionary; a teacher is a person  whose duty it is to impact knowledge or instruct someone on how to go about something, meaning only competent and intelligent people should be allowed into this profession because of the responsibilities it comes with  but today it is disheartening to see that the worse and most incapable of people make their way into teaching after trying out other profession.

After trying out other professions with no luck they make their way into teaching and end up disrupting the growth of the nation by bring negative attitudes and influence to the wards in their care.

At primary or secondary school a student would most times  with assistance from a teacher determine their aim and future career. A good teacher worth more than gold. A mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires.(Williams Arthur Ward).

The role of teachers is most times ongoing and formal, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first have a certain level of qualifications, such qualification may include a degree in the science  of teaching(Education), so as to learn the tricks of the trade.

A teacher may teach literacy and numeracy, craftsmanship, life skills and co. A teacher who provides education to a single individual is called a personal tutor. The teacher is the  foundation of mankind civilization, no national reconstruction is possible without the involvement of teachers. The job of a teacher can be done informally such as homeschooling instead of formally attending a school which has other pupil or student within.

Teachers holds the responsibility of raising the future of the nation through the children they teach, because these children are the future of the nation, in the past decades, teachers and parents have both shared this responsibility of raising and bring up children who would become the future generation of  the nation but with the rapid changes over the past 60 year; urbanization, fierce competition for financial gains and preoccupation of parents, parents nowadays have little or no time for their children anymore, meaning more time is spent with the teacher giving the teachers a bigger part to play than usual which implies the teachers morals and attributes will be learnt by the child because more time is spent day in day out.

The Roles of Teachers in Nigeria National Development

Teaching is a service to humanity, the role of a teacher in national development is In multiple forms such as academic role, pedagogical role, social role, parent surrogate role. Each of the roles comprises of different activities.

  • Academic roles: This role comprises of functions such as teaching function which is usage and development of intellects, learning and unlearning of subjects such as mathematics, English and co. Counseling function which is guiding growing minds to achieving its true potentials. Supervisory function which includes watching young minds of the nation and giving corrections when necessary.
  • Pedagogical roles: This role comprises of functions like the evaluation of student and facilitation of learning, the teacher is responsible for making a child willing to learn.
  • Social role: This is basically teaching the younger generation how to behave and act in the society, this is really a key aspect in the responsibilities of a teacher because this grooms people who would bring progress to the nation, minds which will lead others forward amongst this social role include respect and love for ones nation.
  • Parent surrogate role: This makes the teacher a parent during the time a child spends with him or her, in the absence of the child’s real parent a teacher fills that gap.

Teachers are nation builders indirectly because their job is to help develop citizens with various skills and competency, citizens with the right behavior, they are in a way a determinant of the future, the wealth of the nation lies In the kind of teachers it has.

Teachers through their perseverance, love and sacrifice has shown us the right path to greatness, at some point in the life of every living person, an encounter with a teacher has been made personal teacher or a school teacher, they have fashioned our personality in a way or another. Knowledge received without a teachers guidance is like a blind man without his stick.

Teachers are important personality in a society but over time they have  been looked at with a belittling view. Out of every 50 student just about 8 would like to take teaching as a profession, it is very sad because the nation with inadequate teachers is an underdeveloped nation, teachers are the light bearers to development, they open minds to their potential every leader once had a teacher or a tutor, every doctor was tutored once by a teacher, teachers are transmitters of knowledge because of them we will grow to become knowledgeable and be of use to our society and nation as a whole but when the number of credible people and persons who have a passion to teach begins to dwindle in  the nation, then the decay of the nation would be constant.

Teachers in  some of the rural areas of the nation are seen as saviors because it is believed the by the virtue of being a teacher that you have gone far and wide, you are knowledgeable and so would bring urban ideas to the rural environment. The role of a teacher goes much more than the four corners of a class room. A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite imagination and instill love for learning(Brad Henry).

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