The University of Sussex, United Kingdom, in partnership with the TeachForNigeria (TFN), a non-govermental organisation, has organised a one-day training programme for 132 Nigerian teachers in Lagos.
The programme, which was held at the City Hall, Lagos, witnessed an attendance of participants from Lagos and neighbouring south-west states.
The University of Sussex Head of Education, Dr Simon James Thompson, who was also the leading resource person at the training programme, said the idea behind the initiative was aimed at positively affecting the lives of the pupils being taught by the teachers.
“What we have been trying to do was to share knowledge on different techniques the teachers can apply while in the classrooms without necessarily getting stuck to the traditional way of teaching.
“Also, we tried to examine how teachers can meet the individual needs of the pupils. The impacts of these on the pupils are for them to realise that their needs are being met and they are making progress.
“If these teaching techniques are adapted, it is likely that more students are going to make progress,” Thompson said.
The lead resource person also expressed optimism about the likely positive impact of the training session, saying techniques taught were not peculiar to any country but a universal training approach that cut across.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer, TeachForNigeria, Folawe Omikunle, explained that the partnership between the NGO and the University of Sussex was geared towards giving every Nigerian child deserved quality education regardless of where they came from.
“To achieve the goal of equality of quality education for all children of school age, we instituted a fellowship programme that is also a leadership development programme. And it is about young Nigerians going into poor communities or less advantaged areas to teach as teachers for two years.
“The whole idea is to expose them to realities within these schools, the realties within the communities within where they live and see, so that they will be the leaders to spearhead change and transform the educational sector,” he said.
The University of Sussex Director of International Recruitment and Development, Professor Richard Follet, said the training was aimed at developing human capacities in the area ofeducation.
One of the participants, Olasumbo Adigun, who is a teacher at a primary school in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said she learnt a lot from the training session as it exposed her to new techniques of teaching, making her classes interactive, break down the barriers between pupils and teachers and encourage a relationship that will see the brilliant pupils assist the average ones.
