The Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (BASUBEB) has voiced displeasure over the poor turnout of teachers and education stakeholders at a capacity-building workshop held in partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
While declaring the three-day event open on Tuesday, the 14th of October, 2025, in Bauchi, BASUBEB Executive Chairman, Adamu Mohammed, said the programme was designed for 130 head teachers, principals, and officers from the planning and statistics units.
Mohammed expressed frustration at the low attendance and warned that the Board would take disciplinary action against absentees.
“I’m not happy with the number of participants present. You are not more than 70 now, out of the 130 expected. I don’t know if it’s lack of interest or negligence, but this is discouraging,” he said.
“I will not approve allowances for the full number when only half are here. Call me any name, but I’m embarrassed.”
He appreciated those who showed up for the workshop and applauded the facilitators for their dedication. He also called on all education stakeholders to demonstrate stronger commitment in future training sessions.
According to him, the programme was intended to help teachers adopt modern teaching methods and strengthen their technical competence for better learning outcomes in basic schools.
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“The basic level is the foundation of the entire education system. If it is weak, the whole structure will collapse,” he added.
One of the facilitators, Prof. Lawan Abdulhamid from the WITS School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, said the training sought to build teachers’ confidence and capacity in using digital tools to enhance classroom instruction.
He explained that the project aims to reduce the digital gap among schools and encourage creative teaching through technology-driven learning.
Prof. Abdulhamid urged the Nigerian government to develop monitoring frameworks to regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education to prevent misuse.
He advised teachers to avoid overdependence on AI-generated materials and instead prepare their lesson plans manually to minimize misinformation that could affect teaching goals.