Ogun State First Lady, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun has described the role of teachers in delivering knowledge and moulding future leaders ‘essentially important’ and cannot be overemphasised. She described teachers as ‘gateway, direct passage to the beacon of hope we all envisaged as leaders and citizens through moulding of pupils in the four-walls of classrooms.
She stated this during an assessment tour to some schools in Abeokuta today, Baptist Primary School, Iyana Mortuary, and St Mary’s Osiele to commemorate the successful fellowship exercise of teachers identified and developed to teach pupils and young child in undeserved areas by Teach For Nigeria Fellowship. Teach For Nigeria is a transformational leadership program that equips Fellows with transferable change beyond the classrooms recruit, identifying Nigeria’s most promising future leaders from varied disciplines to teach in Nigeria’s remote schools through their fellowship programme that is expected to span for 2years.
As part of innovative approaches toward addressing the growing rot and decay in the value of education and quality of teachers teaching basic knowledge in all primary schools TFN fellowship provides logic to the shortage of skilled teachers for pupils in undeserved schools. Expectedly on low-income, Ogun state Ministry of Education through State Universal Basic Education, SUBEB provided a free platform to present quality teachers to all these schools in Ogun State after going through rigorous test and screening.
Welcoming the First lady to Baptist Primary School, Iyana Mortuary, one of TFN Ambassadors, Mrs Aliero Otubo presented the pupils and teachers that has so far been engaged and better in shape as worthy pupils. She said, the pupils are engaged by these teachers on core subjects approved by state ministry of education; English, Mathematics, Literary, Yoruba, ICT, and Social studies. Describing their performance ‘excellent’, she further commended the wife of the Governor for taking out time to see and interact with the pupils. Ma, your coming is a morale boasting for the pupils and the teachers, you can see the smile of their faces excited to have you, she concluded.
The Governors wife, applauded the pupils for their cooperation, excellent spirit and discipline while describing them as ‘future leaders’. “Many dreams have been killed, and truncated because of low or lack of education. We have seen future leaders remodelled into thuggery and hooligalism because we pay lip service to education, which we all know is the best legacy for any child and the bedrock at which a growing nation thrive. Here we have TFN taking the horse on a ride, doing what government wouldnt do. Teachers are less appreciated and valued but i celebrate you today. For us in Ogun state we know your worth. You are our worthy heroes. She further reiterated her husband’s commitment to quality and affordable education as evident in the number of new model schools to be built as identified and rehalbilitation of schools earmarked by government.
She however, commended the idea and celebrated the teachers for taking quantifiable roles in reshaping our future.
Amongst schools visited were Baptist primary school, Iyana Mortuary, OLG Primary School, Obantoko and St Mary’s Primary school, Osiele.
