BAYO'S PERISCOPE

Dr. Samuel Bayo ArowolajuThursday, October 11, 2012
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THE EKITI STATE TEACHERS' DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT (TDNA) CRISES - THE WAY OUT


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he Ekiti state government and its teachers have been in perennial dispute for some times now over the issue of a so-called Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA). This has resulted in disruption of studies in the primary and secondary schools in state. With the fights by these two elephants, it is the grass - our innocent children that have been suffering. Informed sources also said that the traditional Council of Obas has intervened without success.

Matters Arising

The Ekiti State Government in his judgment decided that it was necessary to conduct the Teachers Development Needs Assessment. Nobody should fault that, if after a thorough homework, the government is convinced of the need. However, the question now is; how is the government going about achieving its objective. From the look of things, it appears the government didn't know or didn't care about the most appropriate methodology for the TDNA. It has therefore wittingly or unwittingly opted for the Machiavellian principle of making the end to justify the means. And whatever the means might be or caused. This is where the government should have walked more smartly or circumspectly. I learned long time ago, that before any action, the actor needs a wider and wiser counsel before acting with all and irrevocable decisiveness. This is what I think is missing here, which is why the teachers are suspecting the moves of the government and reading meanings to the actions of the governor.

What is Development Needs Assessment?

Development Needs Assessment is not an Ekiti State exclusive process and it has no Ekiti origin. It is a management process with universal applicable tools. It is not for teachers alone. It can be used for assessing government programs, policies or initiatives. It is good for public and private sectors: from the Corporate Boardrooms to the chambers of the executive, judicial and the legislative arms of government all over the world. In fact, big corporations and small companies, nations, international organizations like the World Bank, states, communities, and cities all need development needs assessments at one point or the other.

Nowhere in these places is any examination necessary or required for conducting a development needs assessment as is now being asked of the Ekiti state teachers by their governor. As a matter of fact, according to Watkins, Meiers & Visser (2012, p.4), those who can benefit from or need a development needs assessment include "leaders and policy makers who oversee decision-making processes and implementation" like the Governor and members of his executive council and not just only the dedicated but struggling teachers.

A Developmental Needs Assessment is the processes put in place that helps to identify the current assets; that is, what are going for the good of the targeted audience or population like the teachers in Ekiti; their liabilities, that is, what are hindering their optimum performance or put another way, their concerns in the day to day performance of their duties. McCawley (2009, p.3) sees a needs assessment as a "systematic approach to studying the state of knowledge, ability, interest, or attitude of a defined audience or group involving a particular subject." So, what we are saying is that a needs assessment is all about tools necessary to know about the existing knowledge and skills, capacity and capability and what is needed. It is about identifying the gap between what is required to achieve current results compared with what is needed to achieve desired results. This is why some call it the need gap analysis.

This is the area of interest for Roger Kaufman, Professor Emeritus, and Florida State University, USA who sees a Needs Assessment through the eyes of a need-gap analysis. Here, needs are seen as gaps between current and desired results. For example, if a desired result is at Point B while the current result is still at Point A, then, the development needs to be met or addressed is the gap between Points A and B. Also, financial implications or costs can be calculated and ascribed in terms of either closing the identified gap or not meeting the identified needs. All these are associated with identifying problems and finding solutions to them, which should be the priority of all decision makers (Kaufman, Oakley-Brown, Watkins, and Leigh 2003).

Typology of Needs Assessments

Basically, there are two types of Development Needs Assessment. There is the direct assessment, which requires a research format of collection, collation and analysis of data through a research design for a defined or designated population. Such data are directly and specifically related to the needs of the population. On the other hand, the indirect needs assessment is conducted using a committee meeting platform without a formal research design and data though without sacrificing credible processes and procedures in arriving at a documented findings and report. In neither of the above typology of needs assessment is any form of written examination required.

How is Needs Assessment Conducted?

For logistic reasons, and for the constraints of time and space, a full description of the questions of how, what, when, why, and who of the needs assessments cannot be discussed here. This is what covers the making of the decision, the planning, designing, conducting, collecting, collating, evaluating, concluding and reporting on the needs assessment. Any good needs assessment will adequately take care of a seven universally recognized and acceptable steps, which cannot be discussed here. It should be noted however that Development Needs can never be universal. Again, none of these requires the writing of examination for the targeted audience, the focus group or any of the stakeholders, like the Ekiti State teachers. However, in line with other social and management researches, the conduct of a needs assessment may be done using surveys, interviews, focus, and working groups. Other qualitative and quantitative research methods may also be used like observations, testing and analysis of existing data. Again, this is without involving any need for a written examination.

Conclusion and Recommendations

From the above, it can be seen that nowhere is any written or oral exams required or necessary for the purpose of a Development Needs Assessment whether for teachers or governors or any targeted group for that matter. If the Ekiti state government is interested in conducting exams for its teachers, please go ahead but don't say it for a Development Needs Assessment

The government would have been as wise as a Serpent, if for instance a two or three day seminar or training workshop was organized for the teachers, after which a free and fair test or exam was conducted under whatever name, guise, guile or disguise. 'Hey Men', as the American would say, it is too late now.

I will sincerely recommend a return to the status quo ante by the two sides. No winner, no loser; no victor and no vanquish. If the government is genuinely interested in improving the capacity and bridging the needs-gap of the teachers, a similarly genuine Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) can be conducted by a qualified, competent and independent consultant, where no exams are required. After this, the government and the teachers who would have both had inputs to the assessments would agree to the implement the findings and recommendations of the reports of the assessments.

Post Script:

  1. I have just learnt that Mr. Lere Olayinka, a journalist is being persecuted and prosecuted and now in court and custody on the allegation of inciting the teachers not to write the government's exams. But Olayinka was already in custody when the primary school teachers also failed to show up to write theirs in the government designated exam centers.

  2. Information also have it that the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has now been proscribed in Ekiti State for the same reason of not writing the state prescribed exams.

Comments:

As students of history we are all very familiar with the well-known maxim that those who fail to learn from history always and eventually live by it. My own experience tells me that Lere Olayinka follows the example of journalists who suffered in the hands of Maximum leaders. And like others before him, he will eventually come out of this a hero. Logically, if Olayinka is in court for sedition and incitement, then all the Ekiti State teachers should be in custody and court for treason! If I were the Governor today, I will order the immediate release of Lere Olayinka. After all, if the Almighty God keeps records of our sins; who can stand before him (Psalm 130:3).

I wish we all remember the teachers' union is not the Ekiti Union of Teachers but the Nigerian Union of Teachers. This is the NUT of the late Oladotun Ransome-Kutis, Aminu Kanos, the Ikokus and the Esuas. It is the largest and oldest professional body in Africa (inaugurated in 1931). If it survived colonial diplomacy and military autocracy, it will easily survive any civilian democracy. It was just like yesterday the Governor said he was in trenches as a Democrat and Nationalist fighting Dictatorship. What has become of our constitutional Freedoms of Speech and Association that we all fought for in those hazy and fuzzy days of military dictatorships? One of the political maxims I taught my students in those days is that: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

We must always thread softly and gently because as mere mortals, the grounds we thread might be slippery. We should all remember that history is not always on the side of those who rode the road to power but quite oblivious of the road signs of cautions and sagacity.

Dr. Bayo Arowolaju is a former Special Adviser on Due Process and the pioneering Director General of Ekiti Bureau of Public Procurement. He is currently a M.Sc. candidate in Operations and Supply Chains Management (Sourcing & Procurement), University of Liverpool, UK.

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