Professional Development Needs of Igbo Language Teachers in Secondary Schools in Kaduna State: Implications for Training Programmes

This study identifies the professional development needs of Igbo language teachers serving in secondary schools in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, and examines the implications of these needs for the design of structured teacher training programmes. Teacher professional development is a critical lever for improving language education outcomes, yet Igbo language teachers in northern Nigerian states receive comparatively little targeted training support relative to their counterparts in the South East. A survey research design is adopted, using a needs assessment questionnaire administered to forty-eight Igbo language teachers drawn from twelve schools in three local government areas. Needs assessment categories include curriculum knowledge, classroom methodology, language proficiency, digital teaching tools, and assessment design. Focus group discussions with six school heads supplement the survey data. Findings reveal that the most critically perceived professional development needs relate to communicative language teaching methodology, digital resource creation, and oral proficiency refresher training. Less than twenty percent of sampled teachers have attended any form of Igbo-specific professional development workshop in the past three years. Structural barriers including distance, cost, and lack of state ministry support are cited as primary reasons for low participation. The study recommends the establishment of a northern Nigeria Igbo Language Teachers Network to coordinate professional development activities and advocates for remote training modalities. Keywords: professional development, Igbo teachers, Kaduna State, teacher training, language education.