The school system in Nigeria is often influenced by the constant changes that are occurring within the political institutions. The ability of the stakeholders and actors within the educational system to adapt to the organizational changes has attracted attention in the last decade.
Currently, there is controversy as to the nature, pattern and methods of training teachers in the country. At the centre of the controversy is the confusion over the role of the educational administrators in secondary schools.
Teaching involves the use of wide body of knowledge about the subject being taught. Teachers at all levels of the educational system are very important in the overall development of any nation. Teachers’ education is the process which nurtures prospective teachers and updates qualified teachers’ knowledge and skills in the form of continuous professional development.
It is on this basis that the educational administrators play several roles in teacher education in Nigeria. The term, teachers training in this study is used interchangeably with teachers education.
Teachers’ education revolves around the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitude, behaviour and skills required in the performance of effective duties in the classrooms and in other social gatherings including churches. Teachers’ education is often divided into three stages namely:
- Initial teacher training
- The induction process involving the training and supports of the trainees during the 1st few years of teaching or the 1st year in a particular school
- Teacher development or continuing performing development and intensive process for practicing teachers
