Imperatives of Innovative Assessment Practices for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Abstract

With less than seven years to the actualization of Nigeria’s Vision 20 2020 which represents Nigeria’s desire to transform  into one of the 20 largest economies in the world, capable of playing leadership role in Africa, and recognized as significant player in the global economic and political arena, its educational sector seems scuttled. Education has been identified as an instrument for planned and systematic intervention into socio-economic development but that is not without some conditions precedent. Such reinvented education should be based on appropriate assessment practices. The paper posits that the type of education that will ensure the transmission of techno-scientific skills, citizenship values and entrepreneurship should be anchored on well articulated teachers that are competent in delivery techniques and knowledgeable in comprehensive approaches to assessment. The current realities portray the teachers of basic education as half-baked in knowledge base and in pedagogical and communication skills. A revolution in assessment practices of teachers and teacher educators is canvassed while continuing professional development is critically important for serving teachers to retain their utility value. The modern model of assessments being advocated entails the use of individual assessment, group assessment, self-assessment, and peer-assessment in addition to the conventional paper-and-pencil tests. Training and retraining of teachers is recommended based on critical participatory assessment of teacher needs in implementing continuous professional development programmes.

Keywords: Innovation, Assessment, Practices, Development