Four hundred public school teachers and education leaders in Bayelsa State have begun a five-day intensive training programme aimed at sharpening their English-language proficiency, school leadership capabilities and digital teaching methods.
The workshop, held in Yenagoa, is a collaboration between the Bayelsa State Education Development Trust Fund (EDTF), the state’s Teachers Training, Registration and Certification Board (TTRCB) and the British Council.
It marks the latest phase of an ongoing partnership that has now reached 1,000 teachers, 50 education managers and 60 trainers across the state.
Opening the event on Monday 17 November, the Bayelsa Commissioner for Education, Dr Gentle Emelah, praised teachers for their dedication and expressed confidence that the programme would “equip them with the necessary skills to significantly improve the quality of education” in the state.
Professor Ebimieowei Etebu, Executive Secretary of the EDTF, and High Chief Fidelis Agbiki, chairman of the trust fund’s board, highlighted the milestone of training 1,000 teachers through the British Council partnership. They described the initiative as a critical investment in the Niger Delta state’s human capital.
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Fwanshishak Daniel, the British Council’s Team Lead for English and Schools, and Dr Stella Peremoboere Ugolo, acting chairman of the TTRCB, commended the state government and the EDTF for their commitment to raising teaching standards.
Dr Alice Atuwo, chair of the EDTF board’s subcommittee on development partners, thanked the British Council, the TTRCB and the facilitators for their continued support.
The training comes amid wider efforts in Nigeria’s oil-rich but educationally challenged Bayelsa State to address teacher quality and learning outcomes.
Participants will cover advanced English pedagogy, leadership in school management and the integration of digital tools in the classroom.
With this cohort, the British Council-supported scheme has now benefited more than 1,100 education professionals in Bayelsa since its inception, signalling a sustained push to modernise teaching in one of Nigeria’s most underserved regions.
