TEACHER EDUCATION IN DEMOCRATIC DISPENSATION: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Teacher education is no doubt, a lifeline for development in all facets of human endeavour. Any society that toys with its teacher education does so at its own peril. For it is through teacher education that professionals in all fields are produced. Countries of the world that have progressed socially, economically, technologically and even politically have done so as a result of heavy investments they made in their teacher education system among others. It may not be an overstatement to say that any country that is not ready to fund adequately its teacher education system will continue to lag behind socially, economically and technologically. This paper attempts to address the imperatives of teacher education in a democratic Nigeria and examines the challenges that stand in the way for the realisation of a functional teacher education system. Issues to be addressed include policy issues, admission of candidates, infrastructural facilities, teacher educators and trainable human materials for the teacher producing institutions. Challenges for functional teacher education through the issues raised would be addressed. However, we begin with conceptual definition of key terms in the topic.