Teacher Education, Information and Communication Technology: Prospects and Challenges of E-Teaching Profession in Nigeria

Abstract

Teachers are indispensable within the teaching – learning process. Hence, they constitute a major input in the accomplishment of educational goals and objectives in all nations. In Nigeria, teacher education has been bedeviled with a lot of challenges in the modern day technology of imparting knowledge in the teaching and learning process. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is relatively a very new development in Nigerian educational system. ICT plays a significant role in teacher education. Hence, the objective of this paper is to discuss the prospects of ICT in teacher education as well as its challenges in E-teaching profession in Nigeria. The findings via descriptive research revealed that many teachers in Nigeria are not using ICT facilities in teaching learning process due to some challenges which include high exorbitant price of ICT facilities, lack of infrastructures in the areas of electricity supply, lack of adequate trained manpower for the development, maintenance and operation of ICT facilities, lack of commitment on the part of government towards the development of ICT, inadequate funding of internet connectivity and lukewarm attitude of many teachers to be computer literate among others. This paper proffers some probable ways of improving ICT in teacher education in Nigeria. It concludes that the importance of ICT in teacher education to improve the quality of teaching and learning process in schools cannot be over-emphasized.