A Professor of Science and Technology Education, University of Lagos, Catherine O. Oke has called for structured mentoring programs to support new teachers, particularly in Science Education.
Delivering her inaugural lecture on July 17, 2024, titled “Study of the Effects of Teacher Mentoring Programme on the Teaching Competence of Beginning Secondary School Science Teachers,” Professor Oke emphasised the potential of mentoring and ICT to improve Science and Technology education.
Tracing the concept of mentoring back to its origins, Professor Oke highlighted its evolution from the apprenticeship model of the 1920s and 30s to its current role in education. She stressed the importance of mentoring in enhancing teacher effectiveness and student achievement, focusing on its impact on new secondary school science teachers.
Key elements of effective mentoring, according to Professor Oke, include trust, goal setting, knowledge sharing, feedback, and empowerment. She emphasised that mentoring relationships evolve over time and involve various functions such as teaching, sponsoring, and counselling. Importantly, she noted that willingness is a crucial criterion for selecting mentors.
Professor Oke outlined her contributions to research in four main areas: ICT and Teacher Education, Supervision in Teacher Education, Science Teacher Mentoring, and Science Teacher Development
She argued that mentoring in Science and Technology education will play a central role in Nigeria’s school curriculum and beyond. Professor Oke recommended the creation of mentoring departments in various sectors, including banking and other organizations, to promote national development. She advocated for full-time institutional mentors, given the significant responsibilities involved.
The lecture underscored the importance of mentoring in improving education quality and preparing new teachers for the challenges of science education in the 21st century.
Professor Oke was born on the 21st day of March 1955 into the family of Late Pa Samuel Ajiboye Laosebikan, a well-known business magnate of his time. She joined the services of the University of Lagos as a Lecturer I in 2004 and became a professor in 2019.
She belongs to various professional associations including the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (MSTAN), Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA), World Council for Curriculum Instruction (WCCI) Curriculum Organisation of Nigeria (CON), among others.
She has trained over two thousand (2,000) students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and has been an external examiner to various institutions within and outside Nigeria. She is happily married and blessed with children.
Report: Bayo Salau
Photographs: Ayo Oloyede
