Awareness of the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) among Teacher Education Lecturers in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Education is a fundamental right of every individual, which helps to ensure a safer, healthier and more prosperous society. The efficacy of an educational system is contingent upon the educational achievements of its teachers, as the quality and dedication of educators directly influence the overall quality of education provided. The study ascertained the lecturers of the Faculties and Colleges of Education’s awareness level of the component of the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) in Southwestern Nigeria. It also identified factors affecting lecturers of the Faculties and Colleges of Education’s awareness of NTEP in Southwestern Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population for the study comprised all the 2009 lecturers in the Faculties and Colleges of Education in Southwestern Nigeria. A sample size of 1005 lecturers was selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Two research instruments were used for data collection, namely: National Teacher Education Policy Awareness and Implementation Questionnaire for Faculties of Education Lecturers (NTEPAIQFEL, r = 0.92) and National Teacher Education Policy Awareness and Implementation Questionnaire for Colleges of Education Lecturers (NTEPAIQCEL, r = 0.86). Data collected were analysed using percentage, frequency count and ranking. Results showed that the level of lecturers of the Faculties of Education awareness of the component of NTEP in Southwestern Nigeria ranged from a high level of awareness (21.1%) to a low level of awareness (18.5%); and Colleges of Education: high (13.9%) to low (20.2%). It also revealed that factors affecting lecturers of Faculties of Education awareness level of NTEP ranged from poor funding (RII=0.863) and the government’s effort in creating awareness of the policy (RII=0.763); and Colleges of Education: poor funding (RII=0.804) to availability of NTEP copies in libraries (RII=0.711). The study concluded that the level of lecturers of the Faculties of Education of the component of NTEP ranged from a high level of awareness (21.1%) to a low level of awareness (18.5%); and Colleges of Education: high (13.9%) to low (20.2%), and this makes the implementation of the policy difficult.