Teach for Nigeria, others train 12,000 to render service to communities –
By Elizabeth Osayande
Teach for Nigeria, a non-profit organization focused on expanding life opportunities for children in under-served schools in Nigeria, has partnered with ProFuturo, a digital education programme founded by Telefónica Foundation and “La Caixa” Foundation and Empieza por Educar, a non-profit organization that works to achieve educational equity, to train 12,000 public school teachers in Ogun, Lagos and Kaduna states.
This innovative training programme is aimed at positioning these 12,000 teachers as classroom leaders, enhancing both their pedagogical and digital skills through a very practical and structured curriculum that provides them with teaching tools and peer-to-peer support.
These leaders will impact positively on thousands of students in under-served schools improving their possibilities of a successful future.
To maximize and achieve these results, the training will be delivered through Teach For Nigeria fellows who will then cascade the formation delivering a quality training to public primary school teachers across the different Teach For Nigeria states of operation – Ogun, Lagos and Kaduna. The training will run for one year.
As we continue to observe social distancing rules and restrictions placed on movement due to COVID-19, the training will be delivered via relevant digital platforms. This will ensure that the training is not further delayed and that teachers can acquire relevant skills to ensure continuous learning and contribute to mitigate the effects on education of the closure of schools due to COVID-19.
Folawe Omikunle, Chief Executive Officer, Teach For Nigeria said: “As the world continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative for the education sector to find creative ways to ensure continuous learning. This is why we have partnered with ProFuturo; teachers will be better equipped to deliver quality education beyond the four walls of the classroom. I am confident that this initiative will, in many ways, contribute to the development of the Nigerian education sector and ensure that all children, regardless of their background, receive quality education for better life outcomes in the future.
Magdalena Brier, General Manager of ProFuturo said: ¨Schools throughout the world have been closed, but education cannot wait. The future of millions of children depends on it. In this context, we must resort to the power of remote digital education, which today has more meaning than ever. ProFuturo has been working in this field for nearly four years, taking digital education to every corner of the world to prepare teachers and students for the challenges of the digital era. We are happy to put our expertise to good use in this joint programme. We must all work together to prevent the already existing educational gap from widening due to a new digital gap”.
Also, Teach For Nigeria has partnered with the Ogun State government to deliver class lessons through electronic platforms – TV and Radio. All students, regardless of their backgrounds are able to access these platforms to learn. This comes as part of efforts to ensure continuous learning, despite federal and state government directives to temporarily shut down schools in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19.
