Christine Onwuachumba
The International Educational Management Network (IEDUMAN) is set to empower 2, 000 teachers this year as part of the group’s annual Educational Empowerment Series.
Disclosing this during a media briefing held recently, Dr. Onyeka Jaibvo-Ojigbo, President of IEDUMAN, said the 2019 edition will target nursery, primary and secondary school teachers, both in public and private schools in Lagos.
The programme, she said, “is designed to promote a culture of sustainability, creativity and educational excellence as well as enhance contributions towards the attainment of educational-related Sustainable Development Goals in order to keep pace and remain relevant in the face of emerging societies and a changing world.”
While affirming IEDUMAN’s tradition of rolling out “programmes we think is going to impact us to change the way we do things in our educational sector,” Jaibvo-Ojigbo emphasised that this year’s programme, themed “Nigerian Teachers Skill Project,” is essentially focused on teachers in the foundation stages of education.
Said she: “We will talk to them about professionalism as well as offer them training and anything we have to do to make them do their work better.”
IEDUMAN’s Partnership and Engagement Officer, Evan Udogbo, who spoke on the key drivers of the project said: “The society is evolving and our world is changing, there is disruption in the system and technology has changed the way things work in our education. That is why we have to sit down and say, what can we do for the Nigerian teachers?
‘’There is a number of gaps in our education system that we have identified, like the issue of blended learning i.e. integration of digital tools, techniques and materials into learning in the traditional classroom model. This is one of the solutions that we are providing as part of the Nigerian Teachers Skill Project.”
He attested further: “We are challenged to create this intervention to provide life skills for teachers to improve their efficiency. There is this misconception that just educating the minds is okay, but a number of set skills are involved in live situations. With this intervention, we are going to provide a whole number of skills to equip the Nigerian teachers.”
The group also identified as a key driver for the project is low morale among teachers,
“This intervention is going to afford them the opportunity for professional recognition,” affirmed Udogbo. “We are going to recognize them, celebrate them, especially, those who are doing exceptionally well. This will be a sort of Nigeria teachers’ award.”
One of the project’s aims is the building of a well-equipped resource center for teachers “to create an innovative mind in them” according to the IEDUMAN.