In a bid to raise students who have the ability to make connections between what they learn in the classroom and real-world experiences, Greensprings School has introduced “Service Learning,” as part of its core offering.
This programme offers students the opportunity to gain relevant work experience while adding value to the development of their local community.
The service-learning activities for the students include: volunteering to serve in a company or an NGO, working as a tutor or setting up peer mentoring programmes, and supporting a park.
Also, they can run a food drive or serve at a food pantry, start a school recycling programme , educate the community on societal issues, etc.
The programme was announced by the school’s wider curriculum principal, Mrs. Jennifer Sunkanmi-Qazzeem, who noted that students of Greensprings have hitherto offered some random acts of service in their communities and have seen the impact of their efforts.
Therefore, for the students to understand their capacity to make meaningful contributions to the community, the school has decided to make service-learning an integral part of their training.
She further disclosed that, through the service-learning process, students will not only develop personal and social skills but will also have the opportunity to apply these skills in real-life situations.
Service-learning will give them a chance to be involved in the decision-making process toward solving problems because they will learn how to use their initiative and take responsibility in work situations.
In addition, they will become more engaged in their local communities, gain practical life skills and develop personal interests in their career.
Speaking about the modality of the programme, the principal said, “Each student will fill out a form, selecting his/her desired service-learning experience, and once this is done, the school then provides the necessary supporting documents, including but not limited to, introduction letter, supervisor’s evaluation form, and reflection form, etc., to ensure that adequate documentation of the service learning experience is captured during the period.”
She concluded by saying that students who perform well in the course of their service learning will be rewarded. Greensprings School was established in 1985, and today, it is regarded as one of the leading schools in Nigeria.