By Doris Obinna
Following the maiden edition in Lagos, Nigeria’s telecom firm, 9mobile, recently organized a one-day train-the-trainer workshop for teachers in Kano, in partnership with the Kano State Ministry of Education.
The workshop had in attendance teachers from across the state drawn from both the junior and senior secondary schools.
The workshop is one of 9mobile’s efforts to strengthen education, improve child school enrolment and ensure that teachers are abreast of current information to manage and influence the upcoming generation of students to be future agents of positive change.
The facilitator at the workshop, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, a professor of Media and Cultural Communication and immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), who spoke on the theme – Promoting school enrolment and retention through innovative teaching methods and class management, emphasized the important factors required to create an effective learning environment in the class.
Adamu shared some of the current and emerging innovative teaching methods, practical steps teachers can take to stimulate students’ interest in learning and how teachers can apply child-friendly communication skills to build trust with students.
He added: “As an educator, I feel strongly that teachers can be effective role models to their students, while also leveraging technology to deliver effective lessons.”
Also in attendance, the Commissioner for Education, Muhammad Saidu Kiru, represented by the Executive Secretary, Kano State Library Board, Dr. Ibrahim Bichi, challenged the teachers to put to practice and mirror what they have been taught.
“Teachers should be friendlier to their students and must be passionate about teaching which will help achieve the goal of learning and retention of students in the school system. In this modern day, we have to adopt technology in teaching students and equally inculcate our local language to teach effectively,’’ he stated.
He assured the teachers that every observation made would be attended to and taken to the State Education Council level. He thanked 9mobile for organizing this important and timely initiative and extending the gesture to Kano State.
Speaking on the workshop, the Executive Director, Regulator and Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Mr. Abdulrahman Ado, represented by PR Lead, Chineze Amanfo, remarked that 9mobile remains committed to prioritizing education and will continue to invest in initiatives that impact positively on the development of the sector.
She noted: “Education is dear to us, and the teachers are also dear to us which is why we started this programme last year with a pilot edition in Lagos. The feedback was amazing and we decided to bring this to Kano as well. As an ICT and communication company, we take care of the communication needs of our customers, so it is important to do this so that the communication gap between the teachers and students is bridged.
“As a corporate brand, education is one of our strategic CSR pillars, and we will continue to do this to support the effort of government. We recognize the efforts of our teachers, and we are here today to encourage and equip them with skills that will further enhance their effectiveness.”